Sweet Sleep! 2 of 3

My ability to focus becomes often insurmountable without adequate sleep. In addition to other motivators, I find that I am most likely to grab more coffee when I am lacking sleep. Though this only brings temporary stimulation to my mind which is begging for rest. My mind seems to cope as long as the current task at hand is not interrupted, but as soon as any competing force intervenes stress emerges in the form of a sleep-deprived response.

When my children were born, I continued to see the need to balance a good day with good sleep. I believed if it was good for me then even more for my babies. In addition, I was reading information that affirmed how healthy sleep patterns improved brain development. The synoptic activity in the brain is able to perform most effectively when adequate sleep is available. I was attracted immediately to teaching them “how to sleep.” Okay, I know that ultimately a body will sleep. We saw this when our little ones once literally exhausted… spun and plopped without an ounce of energy left to spare.

There is a difference, though, with teaching the “spirit” to rest along with the body and brain. It is often that our bodies are willing to sleep, but our spirits often have to be lulled. And, it tends to go much longer than the body. Therefore, one of my first goals was to teach my children a sleep routine that supported their current stage in life.

I found that this season of teaching continued until they were both between four and five years old. At that point, we gave up their naps in the afternoons. In the beginning, the principle was to schedule their day around their sleep time which can often be easier for a mother who has chosen to stay home with her children, and is ruthlessly strategic with competing activities.

Naturally, a one month old sleeps more than a one year old. Thus, those early days were quiet, predictable times in order to provide opportunity for plenty of sleep. Well, on the days when our baby was “on schedule.” If it was one of those competitive times, immediately I would begin accessing all the possibilities that could be competing with their need to sleep. And, the possibilities were endless. If you have ever been a parent of a newborn, you can relate to those endless possibilities and the urgency to seek out the solution as quickly as possible.

Many of these possibilities will be further considered and detailed in the posts ahead. In the meantime, my conviction is strong when I encourage parents to seek steady, regular sleep routines for their children. I understand that the older we get, the tug to personally compete and neglect what we know to be good becomes stronger and stronger; but there is no substitute for sweet sleep.

In the womb and at least for that first year, I often lulled our children literally with lullabies from Michael Card’s album: Sleep Sound in Jesus. And two of my favorites stuck as they were toddlers, though I personally found it a treat to sing to them. And thankfully so did they, since singing is not one of my “talents.”