I always thought he was a nut--turns out, he's actually a squirrel

Alternate title of this post: Perhaps it's time to buy Mark a nightstand.

Mark's room exploded over the Christmas holidays, what with all his new toys and us being gone so much. Mark came home, tossed all his presents, dirty clothes, and other assorted junk on the floor, leaving a mess that was nearly impossible to wade through.

I finally had it, and made him clean that disaster area up. He did a great job, and I was thrilled to see his bed back in order.

However, what I didn't know was that lurking just beneath that orderly, tidy bed were the first signs that my son has a problem. (I've seen enough episodes of Hoarders--I know how this all starts!) Or maybe I'm just working myself up over nothing--maybe he's really just taken the Boy Scout motto to heart and is actually...you know...being prepared.

Because here's what I found when I pulled the covers back to tuck my sweet boy in that night:

That's right, all the supplies you'd need in case of an emergency--or if you were stalling bedtime. Water, snacks, a nightlight, a book to read, a pen, and weights. A little more digging revealed his glasses, his iTouch, and a pair of tweezers for God knows what.

Mark was right behind me during the big reveal. I turned to look at him, and he just shrugged and said, "What?!?" in a really squeaky voice. "I use all that stuff!"

I didn't have a comeback to that, so I just sighed and motioned for Mark to join his supplies in bed. 

"I love you," I said, kissing him goodnight. "I don't know why you need all that stuff, but please don't hurt yourself lifting weights in bed."

He scoffed at me, as though that was the dumbest idea he'd ever heard (it was certainly the dumbest thing I'd uttered that day). "I won't," he said, and set about rearranging the supplies.

I left the room, and thought to myself it could be much worse. After all, he'd just cleared a path across the floor--half an hour earlier, and I could've stepped on any or all of those possessions.

And hey, in case of an earthquake or other disaster, at least I know where to get food, water, lights and weights. What else could I possibly need?