The Consequences of Sleep Deprivation.

Fatherhood is a rewarding, but a sometimes slightly dicey, proposition. We paterfamiliae are vested with a truly awesome amount of responsibility.

Which, sometimes, we do not do justice.

During a recent sleepless night--not an uncommon occurrence in paternity--I had occasion to retire to the scullery for a cup of tea. The young Palmerlets were restless as well, and, in my sleep-deprived haze, I thought that perhaps some milk and cookies might well return them to Slumberland.

However, I realized--too late--that, quelle horreur, I'd broken one of the cardinal rules of parenthood: never feed the lil' sprouts after midnight. Any devotee of 80's era movies knows this.

The resulting chaos was handled by a quick trip to the pediatrician in the morning, but lesson learned...