Hi, JereMaya. It's Daddy. Today is January 28th, 2022. And in our fourth episode, I want to share a story about your mom and me. And it sounds scandalous because it's about what happens in our bedroom. Let me warn you. It isn't pretty.

Still listening? Good. You won't regret it.

A part of me doesn't want to share what I'm about to share. Your mom certainly won't like this. But I feel like I must. You twins deserve to know the truth about your mommy and me. We're not the perfect couple by any means. So what I'm about to tell you is something we still often argue about. This is a conflict that's been stewing for years now. I'm going to try to be as unbiased as possible.

But I'm not going to lie to you. I'm totally in the right and your mommy is wrong. There. I said it.

But before I get too ahead of myself, it's important to know how it all started. A few Christmases ago, Grammy, gave her favorite son-in-law an amazing gift. Yes. Yes. I'm the only son-in-law Grammy has - just know I'm still her favorite. Okay. Anyway. Grammy gave me my most beloved pillow and it is legendary.

It's a Tempur-Pedic pillow shaped like a kidney bean, but soft, smooth, and wraps around my sleeping head like no other. And for the next several months. I experienced the best sleep. It perfectly matches my head at the best angle, whether I'm on my back or my side, it's a life changer.

But then your mommy noticed how happy I was with that pillow. Her mom, your Grammy, for some reason didn't buy her a pillow. And out of love and naivety, I offered mommy to try it out for a night. Nice gesture. Right? But that is one of the stupidest things I've done. Two years in a row. She has been sleeping on my legendary pillow.

I requested countless times for her to return it to me, but she always refused. And that smile of hers. If you can't tell. I'm shaking. I once said, "Mindy, it's time to get back the pillow to its rightful owner." But all she did was smile and said, "Thank you for your sacrifice." This is one of the reasons why I call your mommy "Mean-dy.".

To be fair. She did not leave me hanging. She bought me a new Tempur-Pedic pillow. But unfortunately, even to this day, we can't find the exact duplicate. Tempur-Pedic for some reason stopped making this pillow. And I don't have the original packaging to know what to look for.

The one she bought me, looks like my pillow. It's kidney shaped, and it has a Tempur-Pedic brand, but it lacks the soft padding and the smooth peach fuzz texture that my face really enjoyed. Sadly. My doppelganger pillow is very firm. It has a weird diamond shaped stitched surface. It's a good pillow, but it's nothing compared to my original. And every time we lie down in bed together, pray together. Kiss each other goodnight. There is this invisible tear that trails down my cheek. As I see my beloved pillow, usurped by your mommy.

Well, last Sunday things got more interesting. I was helping mommy add new, fresh sheets to our bed. And I did the unthinkable. I don't know what prompted me to have the courage but please know it was an impulsive yet, oddly, calculating decision.

When the sheets were about to be fully tucked in, I grabbed both of our pillows, my legendary pillow and the doppelganger pillow. And in a swift and subtle maneuver, I placed the doppelganger pillow on your mom's side of the bed and my legendary pillow on my side of the bed. This was in the early afternoon.

And your mom didn't notice or suspect an ounce of betrayal. Why would she, right?

And when we got to bed that night, I knew she was tired. One magical talent your mommy and I both have is that we can fall asleep pretty quickly. But the real test was about to begin. Would she be able to detect she wasn't sleeping on my legendary pillow?

After she lied down within seconds, she was breathing deeply and it was awesome. I was smiling so much that night while my head was being supported by an old, lovely friend. My legendary pillow was mine once more. Sounds like the perfect ending. Right? Sweet justice and peace has been restored and no one got hurt.

But sadly. That's not reality. The very next morning, I woke up refreshed and full of happiness and noticed your mom was already out and about. In fact, I think she was pacing in the bedroom. I was about to say, "good morning." But she spoke first when she saw me stir awake.

" Sweet love." She said. I had the worst sleep last night."

And that's when my heart dropped.

That was not part of the plan.

I was about to apologize, but then she continued. "I had a terrible nightmare." I'm not going to share what that nightmare is, but just know it was a confrontation between her and a few adults, and it never even happened in real life. But. That's not the point. The point is. It had nothing to do with the pillow.

And that's when I realized she still doesn't know. So when your mom finished her nightmare story, I asked, " what happened next?" And she said that she got up early around two o'clock in the morning and could not go back to sleep. All she could do was hear my snoring while she was tossing and turning.

And that's when I started getting nervous. All I could say was, "oooooh."

She then looked at my pillow. And paused. And that is when I knew I was dead meat. Your mommy's eyes got really big. This is very noticeable because your mom doesn't have large eyes, but when she's at full attention and alert - her eyes were all I can see.

And she was speechless. I tried to change the subject really quickly. But all I said was, "so how was the rest of your sleep?" And then she saw my smile. This is my worst tell when I've done something bad or am totally guilty. In this situation, it was both.

Without a word. She immediately snatched my legendary pillow from underneath my head. Her fingers felt the texture as she squeezed it. And her jaw opened when she felt the softness. She shouted. "I can't believe you." And in an instant, she began hitting me so hard with the pillow.

Pummeling me as if there was no tomorrow. Your mom got a really good workout while yelling, "how dare you!" All I could do was laugh. Because I knew I deserved it. I was laughing so hard. Your mommy was hitting me even harder. But it's with the most beautiful and soft Tempur-Pedic pillow ever made. So it didn't even hurt at all.

And I could tell your mom was laughing really hard, too.

By the time my beating was over, our abs were hurting so much. I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time.

And yes. To this day and probably for the rest of our lives together. Your mommy will sleep on my legendary pillow for as long as she chooses to.

So what is there to learn about this scandalous story in mommy and daddy's bedroom? I've got three key takeaways. First. Just because you know you're right and your mommy is wrong, it doesn't mean you should win in every situation. There's that famous saying happy wife equals happy life. And I'd say that is true after all, I still get good sleep with a doppelganger pillow.

And if your mom gets the best sleep from my legendary pillow. Then it's wise to let her have it. Sleep makes all the difference in how your new day can pan out. With the right energy and health, we all have the potential to live our lives to the fullest and help others tap into their happiness as well. So, yes. Let mommy win even when you're right.

The second key takeaway is sacrificing for your mommy is nothing in comparison to what she has sacrificed for our family. Did you know that she gave up her corporate marketing career so she could spend more quality time with you? This was not an easy decision.

We probably could have had more extravagant vacations and a lot of great stuff if she continued to work , but she chose to spend more time with you two shortly after you were born. And this was a time when mommy was making more money than me. Every day, she sacrifices her time and energy to lift us up and challenges us to make the most of each day.

I love how she has so much spirit as she throws the football around with you, Jeremy and she crafts beautiful cards with you, Maya, whether it's for a loved one's birthday or for reaching out to someone just to let them know, we love them. There's just so much that mommy does for us. So this little act of service of letting mommy sleep on my pillow, there really is no comparison.

Third and final key takeaway from this story is to laugh with your spouse as much as you can. Embrace the fun and humor in a marriage because life can be. tough, Bad things happen that are often out of our control.

So when a magical moment where pure laughter happens, savor it. Your mommy and I are never bored with each other because there always seems to be at least one thing we can laugh together on. There are many reasons why I love your mommy so much and hearing her laughter is definitely at the top.

Thanks for listening to our story kiddos. I pray that you two can find a partner someday who is as giving and funny as your mommy. Someone who will laugh with you for the rest of your days. Love you.