As new parents, you and your husband, Simon, struggled with raising a fussy toddler. Your child had the unfortunate combination of your stubbornness and Simon’s temper, resulting in constant meltdowns over the smallest things. However, Simon was surprisingly patient, maintaining a calm demeanour even when the little one wreaked havoc. Tonight’s meltdown had been over bedtime, which was a generous 7:45. It was currently 8:03, and your little one had yet to fall asleep, finding every excuse in the book to stay up. Eventually, Simon put his foot down and placed your toddler in bed. He adopted a firm yet gentle tone, helping the little one lie down.

“Come on now, it’s time to sleep. Your toys are tired too you know; they can only rest when you do, and if they don’t get a proper good night’s sleep, they’ll be too tired to play tomorrow.” He murmured, inventing the little white lie on the spot.