Dad · Father's Day · Christmas · birthday
Dad Is My Wall: What Your Kid Sees When You Sleep on the Floor
Eli was scared of the dark, so dad slept on the floor by his bed. Eli drew him as a wall monsters can't climb. A meaningful gift for dad from his son.
Ask any parent about the nights spent on a bedroom floor, a pillow under their head and a small hand dangling from the bed above, and you'll get a tired laugh. It's not glamorous. It's not comfortable. And it's one of the things kids remember the longest.
What you see: dad asleep on the floor
In our short film, six-year-old Eli is scared of the dark. So every night, his dad lies down on the floor next to his bed until he falls asleep, and often ends up staying there all night.
To an adult, that's a sore back and a missed evening on the couch.
What he sees: a wall
Eli drew his dad as a long brick wall stretched out beside the bed. On the other side of the wall: a few small, grumpy monsters who can't get through.
His explanation is perfect: "Monsters can't climb over dads."
Fear gets smaller when someone lies down next to it
Night fears are incredibly common in young children. Monsters, shadows, strange noises: they're part of how a growing imagination works. Most of the advice comes down to the same thing: kids need to feel safe, and nothing makes a child feel safer than a calm grown-up nearby.
Eli's drawing shows exactly how that feels from the inside. His dad isn't just lying there. He's a wall. Solid, unclimbable, there all night.
A gift for the dad who did the night shift at home
Dads often get gifts about hobbies: grilling, golf, fishing. Those are fine. But a gift about being a dad, showing him how his child sees him, lands in a completely different way.
In the video, Eli's dad wears the drawing to bed now, and Eli sleeps all night. It's a funny, sweet full circle.
Occasions that fit
- Father's Day, especially for a first-time dad or a dad of toddlers
- Christmas, as the gift that makes him stop and read it twice
- His birthday, from the kids
- A "you survived the toddler years" milestone, honestly overdue for most parents
And yes, plenty of moms are walls too. This gift works just as well for her.
Why embroider the drawing?
Embroidery turns a flat crayon drawing into something with texture: you can see each brick stitched in. It also lasts. The nights on the floor will end long before the hoodie wears out, and that's kind of the point. One day he'll want to remember them.
We reproduce your child's drawing exactly as drawn. The monsters stay grumpy.
How to get yours
Ask your child to draw "what dad does at night" or "who keeps you safe." Take a photo of the result and send it to us at anorashop.com. We'll embroider it on a hoodie or a t-shirt. During our grand opening, everyone gets 15% off with code BESTGIFT.
To every parent on the bedroom floor tonight
It doesn't feel heroic at 2 a.m. But to someone small, you're the wall the monsters can't climb. That's worth wearing.
Send us your child's drawing. We'll embroider it on a hoodie or a t-shirt for dad.
