Fear and Parenting in Las Vegas

Everyone has his or her “side of the bed” — the side that, for whatever reason, you rest easier, sleep more deeply and are generally most comfortable in.

I have had “my side” for more than…well…let’s just say a long time.

It wasn’t a problem until Steve moved in and we discovered that “his side” and “my side” are one and the same.

Being the gracious gentleman he is, I got to maintain “my side” and he adapted to a new orientation. (We attempted a room rearrangement that failed miserably).

And then we moved.

I opted to be the gracious one (for once) and offered Steve “my side” closer to the window. It also afforded a clearer view of the TV and he would be less apt to be disturbed by sleep-walking children looking for someone to hit and kick in their sleep for the rest of the night comfort.

Yep. I’m a giver, yo.

Soon we discovered that neither one of us slept well in our new positions. It carried over to our trip to Hawaii where we maintained the new arrangement and, despite the amazing hotel room and incredibly busy and exhausting days, we we were both pretty restless at night. We racked it up to the time zone and foreign surroundings.

So, we came back and gave it a try for another week.

In addition to our restlessness, Doodle started crawling into bed with us between 4 and 5 a.m. every single day. We figured he was still adjusting to his new room…. or perhaps the light of the early dawn was peeking in between his blinds…or perhaps the A/C was kicking on after he’d kicked off his covers, waking him up and sending him for warmth and cuddles.

Finally, Sunday night we experimented. We swapped back to our previous “sides” and gave it a go.

And you know what?

It worked.

We both slept better than we had in weeks. The boy? He stayed in his own bed until I woke him this morning. When he want to bed last night, he had no way of knowing that he’d have to crawl past Steve to get to me.

It’s probably just a coincidence, but I’m using Steve as a shield more often. He’s better than bamboo and a bowl full of rocks, that’s for sure.

but it probably would have been crowded and I don’t like to share my shrimp.

Here’s a quick recap of our Oahu trip last month.

Nancy and Steve’s Aloha Adventure (follow the link)

(Music: “This is the Life” by Kolohe Kai)

If you check my monthly bank statements, you’d probably see that I spend on average of $300 a month at Target. From clothing to housewares to cleaning supplies, Target has been my go-to store for nearly everything. (And let’s not even think of what I’ve spent there setting up my household after the divorce and Christmas shopping every year.) It’s fair to say that I spend more at Target annually than I spend at any other single retailer.

So that’s why this is going to hurt.

Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel donated $150,000 to MN Forward, a group running TV ads supporting Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, a politician who is actively seeking to deny citizens their civil right to marry based upon their sexual orientation.

In general, I don’t begrudge folks for giving to causes that I don’t agree with. It’s their right to vote and express their political opinions through their campaign contributions. I also understand his argument that one rarely agrees with all of a particular candidate’s platforms when issuing financial support.

But some things I can’t stomach. Denying citizens their rights is one of them. My continued shopping at Target will continue to pay Steinhafel the dollars that he is funneling to a cause that, along with other noble and honorable things, has an anti-gay agenda.

And that’s something that I can’t live with.

But, in the end, it needs to hurt Steinhafel more than it hurts me.

So, I’ll be shopping online at Amazon, Overstock, and other online retailers. I’ll be paying a few extra cents at my grocery store for cleaning supplies. I’ll be making a few more stops at multiple shops to get all the things I used to get under Target’s roof. Fortunately, I’m not alone.

Do I think my efforts will actually hurt a mega monster like Target? Not hardly. But at least I’ll sleep better at night knowing that I’m taking a stand.

I may come back…if Steinhafel donates to the Human Rights Campaign or another similar organization the same amount (or greater) that he gave Emmer and other anti-gay candidates.

Until then, I will explain to my kids that some things are more important than riding around in a red shopping cart eating popcorn and drinking lemonade while Mommy shops for their back to school stuff. We have popcorn and lemonade at home and they can play outside while I order online.