Somehow, I've been sprinkled by an abundance of love from the nap fairy, so all of our kids have continued to take daytime naps until they started school full-time. Since Marshall is still in preschool, which just spans seven and a half hours each week, he's still a part-time napper. He doesn't want to be, obviously. We know that all kids scorn the idea of stopping their daytime romping to sleep, because it is so dreadfully boring! He's no different, and he is especially aware that he's the only remaining napper in the house, a title he views as unfair.
I'm not particular about these naps, meaning he doesn't take one every day, and we don't plan our life around whether or not our very old preschooler will have his nap time. They're just a quick break in what can be pretty long days, once in a while. Once he's tucked in with his three favorite blankets laid over him in just the right order, his doggie, and whichever other stuffed animals are invited into the bed that week, he immediately drifts off to sleep. His naps are magical! They're spectacular! They're replenishing! I'm not letting him give them up yet.
Although his naps are so wonderful, Marshall forgets every single time how easy they are. So, when we have a stretch of an afternoon when we don't need to leave the house, I ease Marshall into the idea that he'll be having a nap. Like all things with small children, some days go more smoothly than others.
A couple of weeks ago, I must have really interrupted Marshall's fun flow by issuing his nap plan. He tried so hard to find excuses to stay awake. When he saw that I was not backing down from his matter-of-fact reasons, he resorted to what really hurts his feelings when he's in a fight with one of the other kids: name-calling. With his forehead crinkled and eyes squinting at me, he mustered up the harshest tone he could, to call me this...The Nap-Person-Teller.
Actually, it went like this, "Mom, you always want me to take a nap. You always tell me I have to take a nap when I don't want to...You're, you're, you're the Nap-Person-Teller!"
Well, that was a new one, a job title I had never been given before by any of my other kids. The poor kid finds naps so deplorable that he meant it as an insult. Yet, it's an honest portrayal of one of the many jobs I do around here. I am that person. I'm the official Nap-Person-Teller.
If I were to list that job description on my resume, it's clear that every mom reading it would know exactly what it means.
Right along with:
-Boo-Boo Kisser
-Rock-a-Bye-Baby-er
-Lost-Lovey-Finder
-Best-Tuck-er-In-er
-Delicate-Baby-Nail-Clipper
-Tooth-Puller-Out-er
-Birthday-Favorite-Foods-Maker
And the world famous job title for all moms:
-Just-One-More-Story-Reader-and-a-Drink-of-Water-Bringer
How do you feel about being the Nap-Person-Teller? What other mom-jobs do your kids need you to do, that they may or may not appreciate just yet?
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