My kids are now 8, 6, 3 and 1. My toddler still takes a morning nap whenever possible (his brother and sisters all napped twice daily up to about two years of age as well). My three old also takes a daily afternoon nap. And while my boys are napping in the afternoon, my older girls go to their rooms for daily resting time.
My 8 year old never actually sleeps and my 6 year old rarely does but our daily resting time is a requirement for all. It is a time for everyone to have some quiet, alone time and rest our minds and bodies.
My girls are allowed to read, do independent crafts, play quietly with their dolls or clean their rooms (ha!), basically anything that is alone and quiet as not to disturb their brothers.
Requiring my older kids to partake in a daily resting time seems extreme to many people. And the reason behind its implementation in our home is generally misunderstood.
As homeschoolers, we are together pretty much 24/7. And while we truly love each other and spending that time together, we also all need some quiet time to ourselves, me included. It’s certainly not a punishment for my girls. In fact, my daughters beg for me to call nap time some days, eager to have some time alone to play or read without their brothers bothering or interrupting them.
My boys need that time to sleep, my girls need that time to rest and I need that time to reset. It is the only time during the day when I don’t have to keep a constant eye on someone. The only time during the day when the only noise I have to listen to is the noise I choose. The only time during the day when I can start something and have any chance of actually finishing it. The only time during the day where I can actually sit down for more than a hot second without having to jump up to deal with a crisis.
Our daily resting time is essential to survival for all of us and it’s obvious when one (or all) of us don’t get. Everyone is cranky by the end of the day. Dinner is a disaster and bedtime becomes a train wreck of crying and yelling at each other (which, by the way, is at 7:45 and in no way affected by our daily resting time).
I truly believe every person, small or big, needs time in their day to rest. Time to be still. Time to be quiet. Time to be alone with his/her thoughts. Time to be or whatever it is that helps them reset their minds and bodies. It’s essential to well-being and sanity.
And people go about getting it in different ways. Hubby gets this time during his commute when he’s alone in the car. Other mommies get this time by getting up early or staying up after bedtime. Some mommies get this time when their kids are at school or activities. Some people get this by reading, meditating, doing yoga or running.
For me, the easiest way to get the recharging time I desperately need as a full-time mommy and to give my children a chance to do the same is through daily family resting time. It’s a time that’s already carved out of our day for the little ones to nap, I might as well take full advantage!
How do you recharge in life?
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Other parents always seem so surprised that our kids still have nap time. They are six, four, and almost two (well, they understand the last one). We find that the kids are better behaved and more alert through the day if they take a nap, even a small one for the older two. And, I will admit that the hubby and I have also been known to take naps on the weekends. Even if we don’t, it’s really helpful to have a little bit of kid-free time during the afternoon.
Absolutely! Nothing makes a child harder to handle than not being rested.