#621 Staying up past your bedtime when you were a kid

Nobody likes bedtimes. Nope, nothing’s worse than lying under the covers in hot, flannel PJs with wide, unblinking eyes while the late autumn sun slowly droops outside your window. As the sky fades to a burning orange the streetlights flicker on, the moon pops out, and eventually the thin crack of light under your door flicks to black. And then you just lie there, staring at the ceiling, flipping your pillow, tossing and turning, aching and burning. Nobody likes bedtimes. Come on, whether it’s mom chasing a giggling, diaper-clad junior around the coffee table or dad forcibly finger-peeling Xbox remotes out of pre-teen paws, it’s all the same when you’re a kid. The fun stops when the head drops. Yes, bedtime is the secret, locked gateway to a magical mystery tour of late night television, dark downtown scenes, and unknown journeys into all things strange, exotic, and sinful. But it’s that buildup and curiosity that makes it great when you finally do break on through to the other side.…