Happy Boy and Sassy Girl are always happy when Daddy comes home. Since they haven’t seen him all day, they do everything they can to stay awake so that he can put them to bed. Happily, Happy Boy blows kisses and says “good night” to Mommy. Sassily, Sassy Girl blows kisses and says “good night” to Mommy.
First, they brush their teeth. Next, Daddy chooses some happy books and sassy books to read in his special way. Happy Boy and Sassy Girl like when he reads in different voices. Then, they say a prayer, sing a song, and turn off the light. By the light of the night light, Daddy and Happy Boy work together to make up a story about the daily adventures of Happy Boy and Sassy Girl. Sassy Girl makes a few suggestions, too.
After the story, it’s time to go to sleep. Sometimes Happy Boy likes to talk and chatter and chatter and talk, but most of the time he’s willing to fall asleep right away, knowing he will have even more happy adventures tomorrow.
But Sassy Girl is too sassy to go to bed easily. Daddy has been gone all day and she only just got him back. If she falls asleep now, she won’t be able to enjoy having Mommy and Daddy all to herself.
Sassy Girl dozes off, but she wakes up again when Daddy tries to put her in her bed. “No, Daddy, no!” she shouts, climbing out of bed and raising her arms to him, stamping her feet sassily until he picks her up. Mommy and Daddy are always tired and she knows that if she can stay awake long enough, Daddy will give in and take her downstairs.
When she finally gets her sassy way, Daddy carries Sassy Girl down to the living room. “Hi, Mommy,” she says from the stairs.
“You’re supposed to be in bed,” Mommy says, but Sassy Girl knows she’s too tired to do anything about it.
Mommy and Daddy decide to watch a TV show and Sassy Girl snuggles quietly with Daddy. After a few minutes, Mommy gets up and goes into the kitchen. Sassy Girl jumps to the floor and follows as fast as she can. She knows what Mommy is doing—it’s part of the reason she’s still awake. Mommy opens the cabinet with the snacks and takes out a bag of popcorn. Sassy Girl runs to the microwave and tries to push the button to open it, just in case Mommy has forgotten where the popcorn goes. When the popcorn is popped, Mommy puts it in a bowl and they go back to the living room, where Mommy and Daddy pick out the best pieces to share with Sassy Girl. She always hopes that Mommy will share red licorice, too, but that’s rare.
If she stays awake through the show, Mommy and Daddy will take Sassy Girl to their room when they go to bed, where she can play with Daddy’s Cheshire Cat and Dex-Starr, the Red Lantern cat. Not even a Red Lantern can resist Sassy Girl’s cuddles. Living up to her nickname, Sassy Girl lies down on Daddy’s pillow, smiling sassily up at him. When he moves her to the center of the bed, Mommy and Daddy get boring—sometimes dozing off—and Sassy Girl gets sleepy herself. She tries to talk to Mommy to keep herself awake, but soon falls asleep. Still, this doesn’t bother her. She will just recharge her sassiness to do it all again tomorrow.
Originally Published September 2018
