Nap Time

So now that my family is entrenched in the school schedule, I’m forced to give up my laid-back summer attitude and get my butt in gear.

One of my most difficult challenges is getting up an hour early than I have the past few months. No matter what every scientific study and women’s magazine tries to tell me, no, my body is never going to get use to waking up that early. If I could have my way, I’d love to wake up at 10am and hit the pillow at 2am. I’m a true night owl and it’s never going to change.

No matter how hard I try, it’s difficult to go to bed before midnight. I can’t believe how many of my co-workers go to bed around 9 or 9:30. I wouldn’t get anything done if I went to bed that early. My kids go to bed somewhere between 10 and 11 and then I need quiet unwinding time.

Since I’m only getting about six hours a night, I’m usually pretty tired by 3pm. Some days, when I get home from work, I need to take just a brief 20 minute snooze before making dinner and battling homework.

Yesterday, I started reminiscing about nap time. We never appreciate it when we have it. I think it’s really a break for the teacher. We all know it’s in our best interest to keep five and six years going full steam so that they crap out at a decent hour. Not only did I hate nap time when I was a kid, my two kids struggled to settle down mid-day. Subsequently,  the days they managed to fall asleep, meant I paid the price to get them to bed that evening.

Now, I can take a nap anytime, anywhere. One of the most difficult adjustments for me when I finally got a job here in the suburbs, was I could no longer sleep on BART (our subway system). When I still worked in San Francisco’s Financial District, I relished my 30 minute snooze on the train home.

You would think a cat nap at home would be ideal, but it’s not. Barking dog, ringing phone and bickering kids often disrupt my attempt at stolen slumber. I will do what I have to do though. Maybe the next time I go grocery shopping I’ll pick up graham crackers and milk in tiny cartons. Then the setting would be perfect!