An eight-year-old girl sleeps alone, but every morning she complains that her bed feels “too small.” When her mother checks the security camera at 2 a.m., she breaks down in silent tears…

We took her to the doctor.

The doctor said gently:

“Early-stage Alzheimer’s.”

But we never imagined she would wander the house at night.

And we never imagined that…

She would end up in her granddaughter’s bed.

When the adults finally woke up
The next morning, I showed Daniel the camera footage.

He stayed silent for a long time.

Then he broke down.

“She must remember the days when I was little…”

Daniel squeezed my hand.

“It’s my fault. I’ve been so focused on work that I forgot my mother is slowly losing herself.”

Emily slept with us the following nights.

And my mother-in-law…

We didn’t blame her.

We loved her more than ever.

A decision that changed everything
We decided to:

— Gently close Emily’s bedroom door at night
— Install motion sensors throughout the house
— And most importantly: never let my mother-in-law sleep alone again

We moved her to a bedroom closer to ours.

Every night I sat with her. Talked to her. Listened to her memories. Helped her feel safe.

Because sometimes, elderly people don’t need medication.

They need to know they still have a family.

END
My daughter’s bed was never too small.

What was really happening was that an elderly woman—alone, lost inside her own memories—

was searching for the warmth of a child she once held close for an entire lifetime.