Another time, I was reading WINNIE THE POOH at bedtime to my three year old when an older sibling ran into the room singing out: Mom! I know what a wet dream is! Smiling at the animated expression emanating from my child's eagerness to confirm this titillating piece of information, I smiled and replied: I'll join you in your room as soon as my private time here comes to an end. As spending one-on-one time with each child, every evening, was a given in our home, my child placed his trust in the fact that I'd hear him out, quite soon. When mutual respect develops into a family pattern, power struggles for attention are nipped in the bud.
As soon as we were alone, my three year old's thumb popped out of his mouth along with this question: Mommy, what's a wet dream? Laughing, I replied: That's a question for another time, right now we need to get back to Pooh. As that made sense to a three year old mind, in popped the thumb, and once the story came to its end, we exchanged hugs and kisses, lights off, no stalling allowed—and being that we'd all learned to adhere to THE THREE STEP PROBLEM SOLVING PLAN, I was off to engage in a wholesomely frank and openly friendly discussion concerning wet dreams in the next room ...
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