Sabbath Rest

Though I could find no reference in my Bible's concordance, I'm sure there's a verse requiring a Sunday afternoon nap. It was certainly commanded when I was a child, though now that I think about it, it never seemed to pertain to my sister.

In any case, my children are regular lawbreakers (is stoning in order?). During the week, they are generally cooperative with a time of quiet and rest; come Sunday, it's a different story.

Before Matthew was born, a friend told me that she just stopped trying to nap after her 3rd child was born because she would get so angry when she was awakened early. I thought it was crazy at the time; now I understand.

Our room shares a wall with the boys, we can hear all their thumps (such as Andrew kicking the wall and Stephen jumping off the bed). Last week I retired to the couch, but it was in useless - our house is small and the boys are loud. After threats and reprimands to their rears and still no sleep, I gave up.

This week was going to be different. They were really tired from going to bed late and getting up early. I lay on our bed trying desperately to tune them out. Doug gave them a couple of stern lectures. Nearly an hour later, they were still awake and moving. I was busy nursing the baby (Doug was somewhere else) when as I heard their door open, the sound of feet madly racing down the hall and back, and the door slam shut. This was repeated a few times before I heard the following:

Doug: "Where are your pants?"
Stephen: "In the bathroom."
Doug: "Why are they in the bathroom?"
Stephen: "Because I'm supposed to be lying down."

Perfectly logical. (Just like the request, "Can I have a marshmallow because I didn't use the potty?" Umm, NO!)

Once again they were returned to their beds. When the kitchen timer went off 30 minutes later signaling the end to their period of confinement, Stephen was finally sound asleep. Cheerful and chatty Andrew joined me to read a book.

And so goes another Sunday afternoon - as Laurel Lee wrote, "Sleep is a mirage."

Being tired is just a given in the world of motherhood. As a wise woman wrote, "You can either be tired or tired and angry. It's a lot easier to just be tired." Just don't run out of coffee!