Counting Sheep

Last night a Serta mattress commercial aired during America’s Funniest Home Videos. It was the latest edition of the age-old lame take on the stop-animation sheep complaining in one way or the other how people that buy Serta no longer have to count sheep to fall asleep.

The underlying concept of counting sheep flows naturally in one ear and out the other… but my four kids? They just don’t get it.

The concept is engrained in the brain of anyone about 35 years old or older. Countless movies and tv shows made mention of the old trick and we just grew up with it. My kids are dumfounded.

“What does that mean? I don’t understand what the sheep have to do with a mattress?” my kids asked.

I started to explain the concept. “Well, see, some people count, or well, used to count, I mean, some people have a hard time falling asleep so they close their eyes and imagine sheep jumping over a fence and they count them. And after awhile they fall asleep.”

The questions continued… “What?” “Why would people do that?” “Why sheep?” “And why are they jumping over a fence?”

I tried a few more times to try to explain the unexplainable. Then I changed the subject.