Welcome back to 20 Days of Chill. Today's prompt is
Naps
Question #1: who are these guys (Bonus points if you can actually name one or several of them), and what do they have in common with each other?
Question #1A: what do they have in common with my son?
Question #2: what differentiates them from my son?
Answer #1: They are handsome Swiss hockey players who are currently playing for NHL teams
Answer #1A: They are handsome Swiss hockey players
Bonus Answer: These are their names.
While we wish them much success for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs, we wouldn't mind if they came home for the world championship in May either. Especially as it's taking place in Switzerland this year. We're very excited about that.
Answer #2: Obviously they are a good 10 -15 years older, but that's not the point.
They like to take naps and eat their veggies.
They like to take naps and eat their veggies.
Baahahahahahaaa!
It's true, though.
When Colin was five years old he got the chance to meet some of these stars at the annual defence and goalie training camp in Zuchwil. That's when he heard with his very own ears that these grown athletes actually take and enjoy naps in order to recover from practice and games.
I think it's pretty darn cool that our hockey kids get to interact with their idols. It's a huge difference if they tell them "off ice is important" or "gotta work on those skating skills every day" and it's not us parents' nagging!
Back to the naps, though. If I have one complaint about motherhood it's the sleep issue.
Hubby and I both snapped at some point. Let me tell you about it.
While we were driving and talking about who might be looking after him while I was gone, he dozed off (of course).
Fast forward another 2-3 years the "good night, honey, sleep well" routine still didn't work the way a parent would wish for.
"You have to wear him out, get him to do sports" people told me, "he'll drop right off" they said.
Yeah, he's now in 6th grade. I'm still waiting.
Bedtime has become more relaxed, though. We usually cuddle on his sofa and talk. He has the most engaging questions after 9pm ;-)
Also, he reads after lights out. He has his little flashlight, and he brings a handful of books, starts reading one and hides the other ones under the cover. After a while hubby seizes the book. C, unimpressed, takes a break until things have settled down, then he reads his next book. I'm not sure if he is aware that parents actually talk to each other. The other day I went in around 9pm and said "OK, time to sleep, gimme your flashlight and your book!" He handed the items to me.
I went "the other books, too!" His face was priceless!
Yet another night I went to his room to watch him sleep. He looks so peaceful when he's asleep! His arm was slumping out of his loft bunk. "How relaxed" I thought. When I looked closer, I noticed that his eyes were open!
"Aren't you asleep?" I asked.
"Duh, no."
"You should be, though" I said "it's 9:30pm."
"Are you going to bed now, Mommy?"
Let's wrap this never ending story up. I guess once he's a full blown teenager I'll have to wake him up in the mornings for school. I'll report back.
Now - we know how PJ, our host, (where you'll find the other posts) likes his veggies, but let me ask you: how do you (r kids) feel about naps?
Let me know in the comments below. Hope you come back for 15 more days of chill!
Back to the naps, though. If I have one complaint about motherhood it's the sleep issue.
Since he was a baby, that guy has never been sleeping properly. I'm afraid the apple doesn't fall from the Mommy Tree.
 |
| Baby Colin, about 10 days old |
As a new sleep-deprived Mom I was so craving naps myself, and I imagined I'd just feed him, change him, put him in his crib, play the lullaby teddy bear and he'd doze off, so I could go lie down myself.
No such luck. He would fuss around, cry and generally be unhappy. He wasn't hungry, he wasn't cold or hot, he didn't need a diaper change, he.just.did.not.want.to.sleep.
I carried him around, I rocked him, I slow danced with him, I talked to him, I sang to him, a number of times I was so exhausted and desperate I actually cried to him "what am I supposed to do, please give me a break!"
No such luck. He would fuss around, cry and generally be unhappy. He wasn't hungry, he wasn't cold or hot, he didn't need a diaper change, he.just.did.not.want.to.sleep.
I carried him around, I rocked him, I slow danced with him, I talked to him, I sang to him, a number of times I was so exhausted and desperate I actually cried to him "what am I supposed to do, please give me a break!"
"Go for a walk", people told me, "he'll drop right off" they said.
Good idea, I might benefit from the fresh air and the exercise myself.
Wrapped him up in his stroller. He seemed excited, as if he wanted to say "Mommy, where are we going?"
Did he close his eyes? No!
Did he fall asleep? No!
Was he at some point, after walking on cobblestone and / or pebble roads for an hour, really, really close to giving in? Yes.
A minute later a friend discovered us and came to say hello. Goodbye sleep.
I could not make a phone call.
I could not stop moving the stroller. Ever.
And I could absolutely not enter a store where there were lights, music and voices. As soon as I did: wide open were his curious baby eyes.
Of course if / when he finally did fall asleep, it was right in front of our house when I needed to go in to pee or make dinner.
And before you ask - forget about transferring him from the stroller to his crib. Not gonna work. Ever.
Oh, and if / when he finally fell asleep at night, one was not, I repeat, not to approach his crib for some baby watching or good night kisses. His eyes would miraculously pop open.
Fast forward 2-3 years when he more or less managed to sleep through the night, he decided naps were for wussies, and he had better things to do.
Of course when he didn't nap in the afternoon, he would promptly fall asleep before or during dinnertime in random places and not sleep at night for hours later.
He would sing and talk and call for us, for another story and another hug and another sip of water,… Until he figured out how to climb over the bars of his crib, that is.
Then he didn't need to call for us - he could get out and see us!
I talked to our regular paediatrician, and I went to see a homeopath who gave us some globules. That particular night was perfect! The next? Nope.
As for me I still desperately wanted some quiet me-time during the day. Did I mention he liked to get up at 5:30am no matter how late he fell asleep the night before?
I told him it was OK if he wasn't tired. He didn't need to actually sleep. He could just lie there and listen to some music, or read a book.
Reverse psychology did not work on this guy.
He thought it was funny to sneak out and bug me. "Watcha down', Mommy?"
"May I play on the computer, too?"
I tried reward systems (stay in your room 10 times, you'll get a toy)
I tried threatening (come out one more time, we won't go to the playground)
Good idea, I might benefit from the fresh air and the exercise myself.
Wrapped him up in his stroller. He seemed excited, as if he wanted to say "Mommy, where are we going?"
Did he close his eyes? No!
Did he fall asleep? No!
Was he at some point, after walking on cobblestone and / or pebble roads for an hour, really, really close to giving in? Yes.
A minute later a friend discovered us and came to say hello. Goodbye sleep.
I could not make a phone call.
I could not stop moving the stroller. Ever.
And I could absolutely not enter a store where there were lights, music and voices. As soon as I did: wide open were his curious baby eyes.
And before you ask - forget about transferring him from the stroller to his crib. Not gonna work. Ever.
Oh, and if / when he finally fell asleep at night, one was not, I repeat, not to approach his crib for some baby watching or good night kisses. His eyes would miraculously pop open.
Fast forward 2-3 years when he more or less managed to sleep through the night, he decided naps were for wussies, and he had better things to do.
Of course when he didn't nap in the afternoon, he would promptly fall asleep before or during dinnertime in random places and not sleep at night for hours later.
He would sing and talk and call for us, for another story and another hug and another sip of water,… Until he figured out how to climb over the bars of his crib, that is.
Then he didn't need to call for us - he could get out and see us!
I talked to our regular paediatrician, and I went to see a homeopath who gave us some globules. That particular night was perfect! The next? Nope.
As for me I still desperately wanted some quiet me-time during the day. Did I mention he liked to get up at 5:30am no matter how late he fell asleep the night before?
I told him it was OK if he wasn't tired. He didn't need to actually sleep. He could just lie there and listen to some music, or read a book.
Reverse psychology did not work on this guy.
He thought it was funny to sneak out and bug me. "Watcha down', Mommy?"
"May I play on the computer, too?"
I tried reward systems (stay in your room 10 times, you'll get a toy)
I tried threatening (come out one more time, we won't go to the playground)
He.would.not.stay.in.his.room.
Hubby and I both snapped at some point. Let me tell you about it.
One night when Colin kept coming out, his Daddy told him that he obviously didn't need a bed and removed everything except the frame. (I had read about this on a parenting platform. One equally desperate family reported great success after they did this.)
Without a word Colin grabbed his stuffed animals, threw in a couple of toys for good measure, lied down - and slept!
One particularly annoying day I said "OK, scr** your nap, put on your shoes!"
His eyes got wide, so did his smile. I buckled his car seat belt, and he got excited.
"Where are we going, Mommy?"
"To Mommy Rehab - that's a place where mothers go once they can't take it anymore because they are just too exhausted. Its a place where they get to sleep, read, write, paint, and somebody else is taking care of meals and laundry."
"May kids come, too?"
"Nope, but they get to visit on weekends - will you be coming and visiting me?"
We ended up taking a nice walk in the psychiatric hospital's park, meeting a couple of donkeys and sheep and having some ice cream.
In the evening he told his Dad that Mommy took him to a nice place, but he still didn't want her to go and stay there, so he would try and stay in his room duringnap quiet time.
In the evening he told his Dad that Mommy took him to a nice place, but he still didn't want her to go and stay there, so he would try and stay in his room during
"You have to wear him out, get him to do sports" people told me, "he'll drop right off" they said.
Good idea, I might benefit from the fresh air and the exercise myself.
Off to the ice rink we went.
Needless to say, the one who was exhausted and wanted to go to sleep at 8pm was me.
"Just you wait. Once he starts school he'll be so tired from learning all that new stuff" people told me, "he'll drop right off, you'll actually have to wake him up in the mornings" they said.
Yeah, he's now in 6th grade. I'm still waiting.
Bedtime has become more relaxed, though. We usually cuddle on his sofa and talk. He has the most engaging questions after 9pm ;-)
Also, he reads after lights out. He has his little flashlight, and he brings a handful of books, starts reading one and hides the other ones under the cover. After a while hubby seizes the book. C, unimpressed, takes a break until things have settled down, then he reads his next book. I'm not sure if he is aware that parents actually talk to each other. The other day I went in around 9pm and said "OK, time to sleep, gimme your flashlight and your book!" He handed the items to me.
I went "the other books, too!" His face was priceless!
Yet another night I went to his room to watch him sleep. He looks so peaceful when he's asleep! His arm was slumping out of his loft bunk. "How relaxed" I thought. When I looked closer, I noticed that his eyes were open!
"Aren't you asleep?" I asked.
"Duh, no."
"You should be, though" I said "it's 9:30pm."
"Are you going to bed now, Mommy?"
Let's wrap this never ending story up. I guess once he's a full blown teenager I'll have to wake him up in the mornings for school. I'll report back.
Now - we know how PJ, our host, (where you'll find the other posts) likes his veggies, but let me ask you: how do you (r kids) feel about naps?
Let me know in the comments below. Hope you come back for 15 more days of chill!
Thursday, January 2: A new decade
Friday, January 3: Beautiful places
Monday, January 6: Is that chicken?
Tuesday, January 7: Show me the way
Wednesday, January 8: Naps
Thursday, January 9: Snow
Friday, January 10: Fri-Yay
Monday, January 13: Social Media
Tuesday, January 14: Cheddar
Wednesday, January 15: Dream on
Friday, January 17: Snapshot
Monday, January 20: Last meal
Tuesday, January 21: Battle of the phones
Wednesday, January 22: Sign it in ink
Thursday, January 23: Spam
Friday, January 24: May I take your order?
Monday, January 27: A cocktail, if you will
Tuesday, January 28: Bring me to you
Wednesday, January 29: Oh, thank goodness!
I'm a baby boomer, so my babies are in their 30s. Apparently, I was a devil child about sleeping myself. Our first son (Ben) was pay back. Whenever I would whine to my mother that I was exhausted because he would.not.sleep(!), my very kind mother would answer appropriately, but I think I could spot a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes.
ReplyDeleteOur second son was a better sleeper. I had a C-section with him, so I promised myself that the second he closed his eyes for a nap, I would do likewise--regardless of whether I'd had time for a shower or that last night's dishes were still in the sink. The first day we were alone, I fed him and he dozed off. I hopped into bed. No sooner had I closed my eyes than a jack hammer started digging up the street in front of our bedroom window. I threw on enough clothes to keep me from getting arrested, and flew outside to ask the workmen "What.Are.You.Doing?" The response was that it was time to repave our street. Mind you, there was nothing wrong with our street---it was fine, better than ANY street in the adjacent city. I still had plenty of post partum hormones on board. I think I made it back inside before I started crying.
P.S.: My older son and I are still terrible sleepers. But, now that his wife's problem.
Well on the bright side -- always have to look at that, right? -- he's in bed at night with a flashlight reading books. At least it's not video games!
ReplyDeleteI had non-sleepers (both). Neither ever day napped unless I drove them in the car. But I could stop driving (expensive on fuel!). Eldest didn't sleep through a night until he was 7. Even now as a teen he's up early. Youngest started sleeping nights when he was 11. Trouble is, I'm so out of the habit of sleeping I can't now :(
ReplyDeleteCool, Collin :)
ReplyDelete