When Naps Go Away

0

Dear Daughter,

Right now you are screaming at Daddy and me because you do not want to take a nap. I have shut the door and am letting your father deal with it. Mainly, because I don’t want to lose my cool, or have you see me cry.

I know you don’t want to nap. I didn’t either at your age. It seemed like everything else was so much fun and having to take time out to rest just wasn’t any fun. And it was never on my time, always on someone else’s.

Let me explain something to you. Naps are good. They let you dream. They give you time to get bored and fall asleep without distraction. The tablet is fun to play with, and watching TV is fine, but you need to relax from the screen for a bit. Because you need time to just be you, to pretend, to make up stories in your head and perform for audiences unseen and unheard. And you cannot do all of that when you are watching someone else open Kindereggs or play with toys.

I promise you, you will be just fine if you close your eyes. You won’t miss anything at all. TV and You Tube will be right there when you wake up.

It doesn’t seem fair that you and the baby have to share a room and share nap-time. But just like at school, you have to learn how to be respectful of others. This will come in handy during your freshman year of college when you are sharing a very very small space with someone who is on a different schedule than you. And likes different things than you. And who talks in a really really loud voice all the time. (But don’t worry, it’s just for a year, and you can totally live through it, just like Mommy did.)

You will have to learn to listen to your body, and sleep when you are tired, eat when you are hungry, and go to the bathroom when necessary. Because once you start Kindergarten, no one is going to insist on “Potty Time” anymore. This is the part of growing up that is fun (independence) and sad (where’d my baby go?).

I know that this is the time when naps go away. When you will want quiet time instead of actually falling asleep. That’s okay. You can have quiet time. But when I show you that under your eyes are purple and you are super crabby, trust me, and take a nap. Or at the very least, try to go to the potty, and then come give me a snuggle. I’ll read a book to you on the couch. And we can make up stories and voices to go along with our characters. The TV will be off, we will talk in quiet voices and relax.

And maybe, just maybe, you will rest your head on my chest and close your eyes. And I will kiss your red hair softly, and breathe in your little girl scent. And I will wish for all time to stop because my baby is no longer my baby, and she is growing into the little girl I dreamed of. The one with the floor shows, and dance parties, and smart questions, and the ability to bring a smile to everyone’s face. And I will hug you and snuggle in tight.

WHite ChairTogether, we will rest on the big white chair, just like we have done since before you were born. And I won’t feel like life is flying by, and that I can hold you until your head is 10 degrees hotter than the sun, and fall asleep.

I love you. My life was amazing before you, but with you, my life has become secondary to who I want to be for you.

But please, for both of us, take a nap. I promise, anything that is bad and terrible about them now will be washed away when you wake up. This is true. Trust me.

Love,

Mommy

 

 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here