The Other Side of the Bed

Paris; 6 July 2005

Sofia came in my room this morning to snuggle a bit before we went for bagels, a Sunday tradition that dates back to our time in Paris when she and I would go for pastries so Pegs could sleep in a bit. I sleep on the left side of the bed, and at one point Sofia crawled all the way to the right-hand side and said, "Daddy, this is Mama's side." It was indeed, but not because Pegs always slept on the right-hand side of the bed. Wherever we went, Pegs always wanted to sleep on the side of the bed that was closest to the bedroom door. When we first moved to Paris, she slept on the left side of the bed; when we changed bedrooms so that Sofia could have her own room, she switched to the right side. In Moorestown the right side of our bed is closest to the door, so she stayed on the right. I think her preference stemmed from a number of sources: at first, it was to be closer to the bathroom, since she often got up in the night. Then, after Sofia was born, she wanted to be close to the bedroom door so she could hear Sofia more easily and respond faster. Finally, I think she found that sleeping on the side closest to the door made it easier to get in and out of bed, and as I've mentioned before, Pegs was nothing if not efficient. Hotels on trips away from Sofia could be a tricky issue, as you might imagine, since the bathroom and bedroom door could be in opposite directions. This could cause a momentary existential dilemma on her part that was entertaining to watch.  Our bedroom door is on the right-hand side, while our bathroom door is to the left. I wondered when we moved in whether Panagiota would hesitate on choosing the right or left side of the bed, but she quickly settled on the right to be closer to Sofia. Offspring apparently trump bladders.