I Don't Want To Sleep Tonight

The TV lady tells kids to turn off the television!

 

I wrote this never dreaming it would become a published book. "I Don't Want To Sleep Tonight" came into being as a poem I wrote for one of my sons...in the hopes that he would see a hidden message in the story of the little child who had scary dreams after watching an overload of TV and video games.

 

He slept right through the scary dreams...but I woke up, and never went back to sleep! The poem was written in a sort of desperate form of self-defense! When he heard the part, "And one thing I have noticed about these visits from these creatures, they only come on nights when I've seen some TV features...," he remarked, "Hey, Mom, you think that's it?" To which I said, "Yup, I think so. Let's test my theory and see if I'm right!"

 

My kids do watch TV (but never on school days!) However, they are aware of the connection between too much TV and some less desirable behaviors. "I Don't Want To Sleep Tonight" has helped make that point. Written in verse, even the most exhausted parent (and aren't we all!) can read the story with their little one in their lap or snuggled under the covers.