I’m kind of new to this whole parenting thing. This is my first child I’ve ever had, but I learn from every experience with him. I cherish every memory we make together, and this one, is a memory I will never forget.

It was around December when this happened, I remember so vividly because the nights were always so cold. For a few days, my son had been begging me to sleep with him. I figured it was because it was cold out, and he wanted to snuggle up to me for warmth. After about a week of this routine, he started waking me up in the middle of the night. I’ve been woken up by him at any point in time imaginable. Every time he woke me up though, he always said one thing, and one thing only.

“Mommy! There’s a man with no eyes in the closet!”

I never checked the closet when he said this. I merely wrote it off as a nightmare he had and was confusing it for reality. I always told him, “It’s okay, mommy’s here. I promise you, there is no such thing as a man with no eyes in the closet.” After that, I always sung him a lullaby. One night when he woke me up though, I had a different plan of action.

He told me the usual. This time, I was already awake. I had a nightmare a few minutes ago about his father. You see, his father is not a good man. Before I got a restraining order and kicked him out of the house, he dealt drugs, got aggressive a lot of the times over nothing, and would physically abuse my son and I. After my son had said this, this time I carried him out of bed and put him in the car. I was planning to take him out on a drive. You know, just a little drive around our neighborhood to lull him asleep and calm his nerves.

Before I got in the car with my son, I locked the front door. After that, I helped my son into the car and got in myself. I put the child safety lock on, and locked the car normally. I cranked the car, turned the heat on, and handed my son a big fluffy blanket. As I waited for the car to heat up a bit, I got on my phone. It read 3:45 AM. I kept thinking about how I was gonna function at work the next day. Suddenly, I saw my front door fling open. It was my son’s father!

I immediately backed out of the driveway and floored it out of there. I drove around town, avoiding my neighborhood. Eventually I got so tired, I called my mom.

“Hello honey. What’s wrong? You do know it’s almost 3 in the morning right?” My mom groggily told me.

“Hey mom. I know, I know, but this is really urgent.” I whispered.

“What is it? The cat scare you again?” My mom chuckled.

I started to raise my voice as I spoke. “No, I’m serious mom! Stein’s father just ran out of the fucking house! Can we please just stay at your place tonight?”

My mom sounded worried and concerned. “Of course you can. Are y’all alright? I’ll handle everything while you two sleep.”

“We’re fine. That just scared me so badly. Thank you so much mom. I love you.” I was so grateful my mom let us stay there for the night. As we slept, my mom called the cops and they reviewed the camera footage at my house. They found Stein’s father and arrested him for trespassing and breaching the restraining order. He’ll only be behind bars for two years, but I’m glad my son and I will sleep soundly now. We’re moving next month, closer to my mom. Remember, ALWAYS listen to your kids, even if it sounds like a bunch of crap.