(Almost) the end of an (Elmo) era

Allie has been cuddling with her Elmo at night for years now.  She's not attached to him 27/7 but he is definitely needed in her bed at night.  Eeyore joined the snugglefest last year.  I was a bit surprised a few weeks ago to find that she had placed both of them on the chair in her bedroom one night.  I thought that maybe someone had told her that she was too old to have night buddies so I asked why they were on her chair.  She responded that it was hard to sleep with buddies and she wanted to be free.    Apparently, that thought didn't last long because she retrieved them from the chair a few minutes later.

A few nights after that, she placed Elmo and Eeyore at the end of her bed, stating again that she wanted some freedom at night.  Okay, do whatever you need to do.  When I went to check on her a bit later, I found her sleeping on her back with a buddy on each shoulder.

A week ago, Allie set up a small doll tent in the upstairs hallway.  Elmo and Eeyore were placed in sleeping bags inside the tent and that's where they stayed all night.  She did move the tent into her room as I was afraid someone would trip over it in the hall.  As a parent, it's amazing to watch your children slowly grow.  Even though it seems like it happens overnight.

I didn't say anything to her about the new sleeping arrangements but the next night, I noticed that Elmo and Eeyore were back in the bed and they've remained there ever since.



Don't be in a rush to grow up.