Why did I even start this bedtime story thing? Because my little guy wouldn’t sleep. Like, ever. Kept popping outta bed ten times asking for water, monsters, whatever. Saw some fancy storytellers online but nah, too complicated. Then remembered that Ferdinand bull story – simple, calming. But needed a moon twist.
Grabbing random junk for props
First I raided the playroom. Found a tennis ball for the moon, my wife’s yellow scarf for moonlight, and this beat-up toy cow from last Christmas. Threw a blue blanket over my shoulder as the night sky. Cheap? Hell yes. But I wasn’t spending cash.
Making up crap as I went
- Started with “Ferdinand the bull saw this glowing tennis ball in the sky, right?”
- Made the cow wobble toward the blanket-sky
- Stretched the scarf real slow saying “Moon drips sleepy dust zzz…” while yawning like crazy
- Added stupid details: “Moon whispered ‘goooo to sleeeep’ in cow language”
The kid stared like I’d lost it. Then giggled when I made Ferdinand snore with snorting sounds. Progress? Maybe.
Epic fail turned accidental win
Tried drawing moons next night. Stick figures everywhere. Kid grabbed the crayons and now Ferdinand’s got three eyes? Whatever. We taped that mess above his bed. When he jumped up at 3am, I pointed: “Ferdinand’s watching! Shhh!” Miraculously worked? Kid actually laid down.
The dirty truth now
We do this garbage nightly. Sometimes just whispering about sleepy moon cows for two minutes flat. Kid’s out cold before Ferdinand finds the damn moon. Moral? Ditch the fancy books. Use whatever junk you’ve got and make terrible sleepy sounds. If my disaster works, yours will too.