Shadow

Each night when we tuck BBug in to bed we fight over whether or not we can turn the light off.  She used to be fine with being in the dark - and then we had an "incident" at our house a few months ago that upset her and now she's scared of the dark. 

The "incident" was when a druggie broke in to a local bank, robbed a local restaurant at knife (box cutter) point and then decided to see what he could steal out of our truck to trade for some drugs.  Luckily we didn't interrupt him, but the next morning we all went to load in to the truck and found it covered in blood (he had cut his arm open when he robbed the bank).  The only explanation we could come up with on our toes was that a 'mouse' had died in the truck and that was where the blood came from.  Apparently that wasn't a clever enough answer because we've had problems ever since.   

Back to bedtime though.  So each night we fight about turning the light off.  On the nights that we insist and turn the light off there end up being shadows cast on her wall from her television (yes, she watches t.v. at night - don't lecture, she's going to stay awake no matter what so it is what it is).  Each time that she sees a shadow we have to have a talk with "him" and set the rules for the evening in no uncertain terms.  They usually go something like this...

BBug:  Mommy, make Shadow be good. 
Mommy (while standing with one hand on my hip and the other pointing a finger at "Shadow" on the wall):  Shadow, it's time to go to bed.  Get in bed right now and leave BBug alone.  If you don't I'll spank you.  Do you understand?
BBug:  Yeah, if you don't go to bed you'll get spankins and SweetSweet will bite you in the butt! 

Evidently Shadow is really scared of SweetSweet biting him in the butt, because every night after he receives that talking to he pretty much stays to himself and doesn't mess with BBug!