There’s only one way to really do a good job with your family and you know that’s true. You can run around all day, with good intentions, making your lists and sticking post its everywhere and packing sandwiches and cleaning clothes but at the end of the day the only thing you really need to make it all come together …. comes down to … SLEEP.
When I was in my 20s I laughed that off. ”Early to Bed, Early to Rise” was for nerds. They weren’t having any fun and I WAS. I stayed out until all hours having a blast with friends. I went to bed late and woke up late, stumbled for the coffee pot and eventually found my way to work.
I’m a late bloomer. Didn’t get married until I was 30. Didn’t have my first baby until I was 32. I have four now and one’s 16. You do the math. All through the transition from fun single girl to fun working mom I tried to hold onto the fun but kept on losing sleep.
Still working and still chasing four children and still wanting to be fun to be around doesn’t add up to much if I can’t get to bed by 10. Some nights I’ll climb out of bed to leave a reminder note for myself on the kitchen table so it’s the first thing I see in the morning. Then I can get back to sleep.
Here’s the catch 22: When your kids are having struggles (school/sports/friends/you know the drill) it can make me sleepless. We are attached at the hips, mothers are … to their kids. You’ve got to work things out with them before you get to bed.
But nothing can be worked out if you’re tired, cranky, sleepless.
Night, night.
