The End of Things As I Knew Them

Life, my friends, is all about change. That fact seems to ring especially true when you have small children at home. They take leaps and bounds in their lives every day, so change can be seen more frequently.

Recently, due to my small child, my life has changed exponetially. The change happened fast and has left me saddened and bewildered. My life will never quite be the same and some how I will have to find the courage and strength to go on.

You see, baby girl will no longer take a nap.

I've tried and still she can't be swayed. She began by coming out of her room and simply stating that she wasn't the least bit tired. I would quickly usher her back in and tell her she really was tired. So tired, in fact, that she wasn't thinking straight and should really get some sleep. This worked once. Maybe twice. Darling Violet is the clever sort and cannot easily be detered. She has found a new tact to nap avoidance that has worked quite well. She poops herself out of it.

Every day I put her down for the nap, she kisses me, and lays down nicely. 15 minutes later, she's at the top of the stairs proclaiming a full diaper that needs immediate changing. "It's gross Momma. And stinky. I need a new one please!" She yells so sweetly.

It's a pretty good trick. I haven't been able to find a way around this one. Any parent can tell you that this is one area that the kiddos are pretty much in control of. They say when, they say where, and they say how much.

I'd like to be able to say that I used nap time to be productive. That nap time is when I cleaned all the dust balls from behind the fridge and organized everyone's sock drawers. I'd like to tell you that. And maybe if fewer people who actually knew me read this blog, I'd be able to pull that story off. The real truth is that nap time was actually my free period. Choice time, as they say in kindergarten. I ate lunch in peace, I watched shows I recorded the night before, I read magazines. Lots and lots of magazines. Nap time was my time. Not that a mom's time is ever really her own, but this was as close as I got to it. And I shall miss it desperately.

I knew deep down that it wasn't going to last forever. Yet, I mourn it just the same. Bow your heads, my friends, and join me in a moment of silence. It just may be my last.