Fodder for bad dreams

Is it because he's a boy, or because he's four? Depending on the answer, AJ will either permanently confuse me, or hopefully move beyond this stage.

AJ is a child who is fascinated by sharks. That's a wobbegong he's pointing to during our recent trip to the aquarium at the Mall of America. He knows all about ferocious sea creatures. How? He likes to read about them and what they like to eat. As a bedtime story.

Dinosaurs are another favorite. Meat eaters versus plant eaters. He soaks it up like a sponge. The T-rex is the coolest in his opinion. It's the most vicious predator of all time. Another likely pick for bedtime stories.

So I wasn't all too surprised last night to hear that AJ was afraid to go to sleep. Until I found out why. Something was scaring him, he said. He thought Ernie was going to come and get him. Ernie – the lovable orange guy who sings about rubber duckies on Sesame Street.

Trying to convince him that his fears were unfounded, that Ernie used to be my favorite Sesame Street character, did nothing to calm him. So I moved to another technique – distraction. I asked him which Muppet he liked best. His answer? The Count.

I will never understand.

On an unrelated note, take another look at the picture of AJ and Ellie with the Lego triceratops. Note the woman in the background. Let this be a reminder to all of us of why we should be careful about yawning in public. You never know when a blogger is snapping pictures.