lessons from a bedtime banter.

I was laying in the dark next to my smallest child. This nightly ritual, where he nods off to sleep with my body close, is usually a sweet blessing. This night, it was taking awhile, with lots of flopping around and trying to engage me for a chat.  Suddenly, he cried out in pain.

“Mama mama, my heel is bleeding!” A sure decoy, I was not taking the bait. …