GROWING PAINS -- NOT THE KIRK CAMERON KIND, EITHER

It should really come as no surprise that our boy's lanky frame pains him. Constantly.

Well, ok, not constantly. But at bedtime, for certain. And in the middle of the night. Just as I've started to drift off, usually.

And, unlike his sister who'll suck up pretty much anything for the sake of someone else, he truly has no consideration for anyone or anything when he's sick or in pain. So, the fact that she's fast asleep in the bed right next to him is really of no importance whatsoever, and so he screeches and screams as though his legs were being gnawed off slowly by a very large, very hungry Chago-eating shark.

So, I stumble out of bed, grabbing the Arnica gel from their bathroom as I go, plant myself beside his bed and begin massaging his shins. And I think...every single time...jesusagechrist, how much taller is this boy gonna grow? And he kicks and harumphs and knocks his blankets to the floor, but eventually the yelling subsides, and he rolls over and back to sleep.

But, yes, just long enough for me to crawl back under the covers and begin to drift...

So, after the third-or-so episode, I bring him back into my bed with me because as much as she is strong, she's a holy terror if she's awakened prematurely, and we will not be risking two screaming meamies tonight.

But he huffs and puffs and tosses and turns.

"I can't get comfortable," he says.

"My legs hurt," he says.

"I don't wanna go to sleep," he says.

And I'm running out of arguments.

Enter the visualization therapy.

We're on a boat, on the open sea, the waves are rolling, but it's not rough. We bounce along, a cool breeze on our faces. The mist dancing off our eyelashes as we sail towards the sunset.

And depending upon how long it takes for him to calm down, we've often ended up in Australia or China by the time he falls asleep again, but it's a pretty powerful tool, and one that Amy's long used on me whenever I got really bad migraines.

It does take a little more effort than popping a pill or sipping some grape-flavored medicine, but I'm truly hoping that somewhere along the way he's learning a valuable coping skill.

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