Look Under The Bed!

"Look under the bed! Monsters!” Moms and dads dutifully kneel and peek under the bed to make sure the monsters have vacated.

- Patrick Hempfing

After the bed check, we walk to the closet, open the door and perform another search to make sure the monsters haven’t relocated.

Jessie, now 12, hasn’t asked me to look for monsters in years. Since I’m 6-foot-5-inches tall, monsters know better than to mess with me. However, a recent visit Jessie had with her 7-year-old cousin reminded me of the importance of the under-bed check. Not for monsters. Not for dust bunnies either. For fun!

Last year, we moved from a house to a small apartment near my wife’s new job. To maximize storage, we bought Jessie a bed frame that creates 18 inches of space below her mattress where she stashes games and puzzles. Even if we had monsters, there wouldn’t be any space for them under her bed — or in her closet.

Jessie and her cousin dug under her bed for toys and had a fun time playing together. After Jessie’s cousin left, she went through the rest of the boxes under her bed, many of which hadn’t been opened since the move.