Thursday, August 13, 2009

Nap Time

As a kid, I hated those words. I didn't want to take a nap because I might miss out on something. I had things to do and didn't want to take a nap. I didn't need a nap. Now as an adult, I love those words. I love saying to my kids, "Nap Time". Of course, they aren't as thrilled as I am. They are not tired. They have things to do. They don't want to miss out on anything. They don't need a nap.

They are right to some extent. They are not always tired and they may miss something, but that's not what's important. What's important is that their little bodies need a time to recoup. They need a time to catch up with their thoughts. They may not need to go to sleep, but they need to rest. G3 usually needs a nap. She will eventually collapse somewhere if she doesn't have that time. She runs hard all day and eventually, her body forces her to stop for a while. I usually know exactly when that time is. She starts to get grumpy. Nothing is right for her. She starts getting hurt in games. Her body is trying to recoup, but can't. Now, if I tell her it's nap time, she'll fight it, but if I can get her to sit in a quiet place for just a few moments, she's out like a light.

Of course, the kids aren't the only ones who need this time. I need it. I need a few moments for my body to recoup. I need my house to be quiet and calm so I can relax. So often, when nap time comes, I don't let my body rest. There's always things to do, things that can't wait. This morning, I woke up exhausted. I didn't get enough sleep last night and I didn't sleep well. I was up for 2 1/2 hours before I gave up. I decided that things could wait, school could wait, cleaning could wait. I put B1 in charge of the others, told him what I expected and I took a NAP. An hour later, I woke up. I feel so much better now. My body feels better now. I feel like I can handle the rest of the day. Yes, my schedule is off now. Yes, I will have to catch up later on a few things. But, that nap was necessary. I can't and won't do that often. It is important though that every day, we take a quiet time and give our bodies a chance to recoup. So, yes the kids need a nap time, but so do we. Don't forget that.

No comments:

Post a Comment