On Napping

Since writing about sleep and rest yesterday, I have been thinking about napping.  We are big nappers in our house.  The Boy napped until age four, and I can still get him to occasionally take a nap with me.  The Girl still naps every day, and I hope she will continue to nap for as long as her brother did.

When the Boy was a baby, he was a terrible sleeper, so I usually napped with him, at least once a day, sometimes twice.  When I became pregnant with The Girl, all I wanted was sleep.  I couldn’t believe how tired I was all the time.  Absolutely tired, all the way down to my bones.  I had to sleep, so I napped with The Boy.  When The Girl was born, I would take both of them to bed with me, and we would all nap together.

I still nap with The Girl on occasion.  If I am feeling tired or run-down, I will nap with her in the afternoon.  I still feel like I am tired often, and feeling run-down and fatigued from tending children and a home all day.  I know I am so fortunate to be able to nap in the afternoons if I need it.  But I feel that my health and energy are worth it.

Sometimes I choose to have quiet time for myself during nap time, but I try to take that time for myself to do some quiet work of my own, usually knitting, reading, or blogging.  I find it really helps me deal with the high energy of the kids, if I can have even twenty minutes of quiet time for myself.  Yes, there is always work to do, but my peace of mind depends on a little break in the middle of the day.

So every day, around one o’clock (or after lunch) we have quiet time in our house.  Even if The Boy opts not to have a nap (and these days he chooses not to), we still have an hour or two of quiet time, where everyone is expected to have some quiet, alone time.  I think in the ebb and flow of the day’s energy, it’s important to have some quiet down-time in the midst of a busy and playful day.

I think Shea Darian says it best in her book Seven Times the Sun:

One helpful tool when creating daily rhythm for your family is to think of it as a “breathing” exercise.  “Breathing in” is a time when one can focus inwardly and privately.  This might include such activities as reading by oneself, stringing beads, resting, etc.  “Breathing out” is a time of moving out to interact with the external environment.  Such activities might include free-play with others, making a craft project together, visiting friends, etc.  After an out-breath, an in-breath is natural and necessary.  As in any relationship, a balance of intimacy and privacy, as well as activity and rest, is important.  Remember to give both yourself and your child some “breathing room.”

I find that after everyone has had some quiet time, that we are all ready to have some together time afterwards.  I never realized it until recently, but quiet time has always been an important part of our day, since the very beginning.