Bedtime

I put toothpaste on his brush.
Hand it to him, brush your teeth, dad.

He rinses it out and tries to put it away.
I do it again.
Put it to his mouth.
He stares at it, then me.
I make a motion like I am brushing my teeth.
Here, this is yours, handing it to me.
It's yours dad, brush your teeth, like this.
I act it out again.
He brushes his teeth.

Wanders back to his chair.
Stares at the cartoon.
Checks the freezer for icecream.
Talks to the tv.
Walks into the open bedrooms.
Talks to the shadows.
Opens a package of crackers.
Leaves them in a coffee mug.
Goes back to his chair.

We wait for him to be ready to sleep,
so mom can finally sleep.