Mama is another word for monster-slayer.

I've been working on getting Sophie to go to sleep on her own, in the hopes that when she awakens at night she'll be able to get back to sleep without me.

So after our showers today, I dress her and tuck her in, and go back to the bathroom to finish getting myself ready. She starts crying, but I decide to let her go on until I'm done brushing my hair and teeth.

Suddenly she sounds much louder as her door is pushed open. "Mama! Come here! Mama!," Izzy yells. I laughingly put down my brush, because I know what's happening. I walk into her nursery and she's standing up crying at the end of her crib and Izzy is standing beside her, looking stricken. He says, "Baby cry bad, mama," meaning that she's crying a lot.

I thank him for being a good brother and he looks much relieved when I pick her up. He looks up at me with those big blue eyes and his wet hair all stuck to his head, and says, "She scared. Baby scared." I said, "She was scared, huh? Well, she's okay now, mama has her."

He looks at Sophie and says, "It okay, baby. Mon no here." Mon is his word for monsters. Very reassuringly, he smiles and repeats himself while gazing up at her in my arms, "Mon no here."

If only I could always make them feel so safe.