Posted on Tuesday, 29th September 2009 by Catherine
Have you ever taken the time to watch your child sleep? I think it is so amazing how peaceful and angelic they are while sleeping. Oh if only we could all sleep like a baby – whenever we want to for as long as we want to. I love to watch my kids sleep. All three of them are great sleepers. The only time they are up at night is if they are sick. I have lots of thoughts on how raise a “good sleeper” and will save those for another post.
Just a nap or something else?
Today I am at Children’s hospital with my son Mason. He has a chemo infusion and has decided to take a nap while we are here. I must admit, there is a part of me that is worried he is getting sick. He usually is running around here like he owns the place. Not today – his body is so tired. I love sitting next to him watching him sleep. Watching his eyes flutter and the rise and fall of his chest with each breath. It is loud in here, we are out in the open area but the noise isn’t bothering him in the least. I can only hope that this “rest” time is just that, nothing more. When a child has a compromised immune system the cold and flu season can be a very scary time. I try hard not to worry and I realize he needs more sleep than the average kid but I still get an uneasy feeling when he drifts off to dreamland unexpectedly.
So peaceful~
Watching my kids sleep calms me. It brings me to a place of remembrance and place where I am grateful and renewed. After a long day sometimes I go into their rooms and spend “time” with them while they are sleeping. My two older kids (7 and 5) usually wouldn’t even wake up if I talk to them. My youngest is a lighter sleeper so when I go in his room I often just sit in the rocker in the dark and listen to his breathing. I have been a mom for almost 7 years and I still can’t get over what a miracle and gift kids can be.
Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of yelling, crying and drama around our house to make me want to run and hide some days but overall being a mom to my 3 kids is one of the biggest blessings I could ever ask for. With all the adversity our family has faced over the past few years it is a miracle I am not in the funny farm or better yet in a 12 step program of sorts.
Finding strength
I can attribute a lot of my strength to wanting to create the best life I can for my kids. I want to be there for them and be a good mother. As I have mentioned before, I strive to be 1/2 as good a mom to my kids as my mom was to me.
Life is hard and it is not fair. I am sure you can relate to that concept. What do you do to keep going, what gets you out of bed each day to face the challenges of life? For me it is my kids. They give me strength when I think I don’t have any more. Just when I am about to lose the last bit of patience for the day one of them will say or do something priceless and make it all better. They fill me up and at the same time can drain me to the core. They make me laugh harder than I ever have, smile bigger than I thought possible and yell louder than I knew I was capable of.
They need me and I need them. It is a win/win most days. They keep me from going crazy missing my mom and make sure I am staying on task with homework, activities and play-dates. They have what seems to be an endless amount of energy which is probably why they sleep so good at night and lots of times during the day.
The “sleep” series
I think sleep is a key ingredient for establishing healthy coping skills. I am going to start a series about sleep and over the next 4 weeks share with you my ideas about how important sleep is for both you and your kids. Until then peek in on your kids or your loved one when they are sleeping.
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September 29th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Love the post as usual, Cath. Always so insightful. Looking forward to the sleep series. I love to watch Miss Gabbie sleep too. Amazing how they can fall asleep anywhere when they are in need of a rest. Gabbie is a good sleeper too, as is her mom.
Unfortunately we are also night owls so the good sleep sometimes takes place a bit later than for most others and lasts into the later morning hours as well…which is ok right now with no job and school to get to but might be a problem in the future. Sweet Dreams.
September 30th, 2009 at 7:24 am
How funny that just last night I watched Alexa sleep for a couple minutes. She had her hands together like she was praying. Thanks for reminding me how a such a simple thing means so much.
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:26 pm
The exact opposite happened to me tonight. I fell asleep on the couch as the boys were reading books and they sat there and watched me sleep. They then woke me up and asked me what I was dreaming about. As you know I am a total night owl and spend a few minutes each night watching the kids before I go to bed. Good night.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:53 am
I am very guilty of couch sleeping but never yet when my kids are watching me! I am sure the day will come~
November 20th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Those pictures are way too sweet for words! What a great post. I’m such a fan of healthy sleep habits. Good, adequate sleep makes such a difference in so many ways–behaviorally, emotionally, etc.
I love watching my kids sleep, too! Even the big ones look like babies again when they’re asleep!