My daughter Annie really got into the fun of role-playing when she turned three. One of her favorite things to pretend to be was a monster. As a monster, she'd chase the dog around our house, or jump into rooms with a loud monster "RAWR!" I loved that while most kids are afraid of monsters, my daughter wasn't...until suddenly, that changed.
One night as I was tucking Annie into bed, she said nervously, "Mommy...what if monsters are real? What if they come get me while I'm sleeping?" I didn't want her to lose the joy of playing her favorite game, so I assured her that her father and I would keep the monsters away. After she went to sleep, I came up with a plan.
I ran to the grocery store and bought a clear spray bottle and some assorted stickers. Back at home, I carefully spelled out "Monster Spray" with the stickers I'd just purchased. Of course, then I needed something to spray. The perfect potion was on the shelf: Febreze with Gain. I knew its clean scent would linger in the room longer after the spray dissolved into the air, which was what I wanted.
The next night I told Annie that I'd bought her the perfect thing to keep the monsters at bay. I told her "Two sprays a day keeps the monsters at bay." She thought this was great, and while I pumped the spray bottle the two of us chanted, "Monsters, monsters, stay away from the closet! Monsters, monsters, stay away from the bed!" After she was in bed with the lights off, Annie said, "Mommy, I can still smell the Monster Spray, so I know it's still working." Exactly!
We've sprayed the Monster Spray every night for six months now. My daughter tells me, "Mommy, you know monsters aren't real, right?" But I am so happy that she still wants to do our little routine every night. She makes up little dance moves to go with the chants, and sometimes she'll even throw in a kick or two. Now she not only wants to use the Monster Spray in her room, but also in her baby brother's. I love that our nightly ritual is naturally passing down to her younger sibling, I love that they are both sleeping soundly thanks to the monster spray, and I also love that both of their rooms smell amazing!
