Son, don't read this.

I ran into a new mommy friend at the grocery store this week. She has a 15 month old son and I have much to learn from her.

She told me that her son recently underwent surgery to correct a presistant ear infection issue. His ears are doing great, but now he's up all night suffering from the night terrors that are a side effect of the anesthesia.

NIGHT TERRORS... in infants... due to anesthesia.

I've heard about this occuring before, but it was on an episode of the deliciously licentious F/X show "Nip/Tuck". Although it is a very dirty, dirty, dirty entertaining show, I never considered it a source of real medical info... I was shocked.

I am very sympathic with my new friend. I can't even image my son having night terrors at 15 months... I wouldn't know how to calm him. In this type of situation, I usually try to rationalize, rationalize, rationalize...

"No, honey, there can't be monsters under the bed because we had the house treated for that..."

Unfortunately, toddlers aren't really known to have a high regard for reason. My friend has restorted to giving her son juice whenever he wakes up screaming... because, there's nothing like SUGARY BEVERAGE to calm a child at night.

I shouldn't judge, especailly since I would probably resort to bribes, which are much worse... After all, I did recently buy my son a huge plastic ball from Target just because the sight of me trying to free it from the huge ball bin made him laugh. I admit it, I love to spoil him. It would start small-- a new toy car here, a little plastic dinosaur there... next thing you know, he'll be getting Apple iBooks and video games... later bedtimes and no cerfews.... a brand new car for his 5th birthday.

Boy, I am really lucky my son isn't prone to ear infections. This could turn really ugly...