I’m a great sleeper. In fact, I’m probably too good of a sleeper. On mornings that I’m not running with T, I don’t set an alarm clock and I don’t wake up until one of my kids comes to get me. I love being awoken in my warm bed by a kid crawling in next to me trying to get a cuddle.
But I’ve been staying up too late, especially if I want to start implementing my 5 AM gym sessions. I need to be going to bed at 9 when Pam does, whether or not I’m getting up early the following morning. I’ve always heard that in order to achieve maximum restfulness, you should keep a strict sleep schedule.
Well, Tuesday night was the final straw. I crawled into bed at 11:00 and within 5 minutes of hitting the pillow, my son was screaming. From day 1 with child 1, we’ve been all about letting our kids cry themselves to sleep. So I tried that. He cried for 30 minutes and then I went and consoled him. Then he woke up 20 minutes later and cried for 30 minutes and I went and consoled him again. This went on until 2:30 when I finally relented and crawled into bed with him so that I could get some sleep. Instead of sleeping from 11 to 7, I slept from 3 to 7 and I’m totally exhausted as I sit here typing this.
You’d think that the solution would be easy, right? Go to bed earlier. This isn’t so easy for me for several reasons. First off, I like to have some time in the evening to just decompress–surf the internet, scan facebook, chat with my friends, or play a game or two. Plus, I’m not as productive during the day as some other stay at home parents that I know so I have to spend some time each evening catching up on the stuff that I wanted to get done during the day. And finally, I am always behind in my writing for this blog. Sometimes I write during the day while the kids nap. Sometimes I clean. Sometimes I procrastinate. But if the kids are awake, I’m playing and parenting and doing all of the things that I’m supposed to be doing with them. Night time is the only time for me to get MY stuff done.
But things have to change. I can’t run around like a chicken with my head cut off any longer. I’ve got to get more organized during the day so that I can get stuff done more efficiently, run a smoother household, get in a good workout, write for the blog, and still get to bed at 9. It may take me a while to figure it out, but I’m going to get it done.
And I’m going to start by going to bed at 9 or 9:30 whether or not I’m done with the stuff for the day. Some things can wait until tomorrow, or the next day. Maybe if I fall behind on stuff I’ll find ways to work more efficiently.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
making your kids cry themselves to sleep is really sick, dude.
kids need comfort just like adults and they are not learning to “do it themselves” by allowing them to “cry it out”. They are only learning to not get their needs met and become angry, shut down people. Please read up on attachement parenting, child development and maybe compassion too. They are lost little souls who have no idea how to do anything, you have to teach them. Crying is loud and painful to listen too for an evolutionary purpose, so you’ll respond.
Julia – Let me stick up for Mac here. Please don’t get the impression that we ignore our kids whenever they are crying. That is absolutely not the case. However, we do subscribe to the “Babywise” or “self-soothe” philosophy that does include letting a child cry some on their own before a parent rushes in. If they continue to cry, then absolutely, we go in to console; and if there is any indication that one of our kids is hurt, sick, cold, or otherwise unwell we are in there in a heartbeat.
There are many different methods of parenting; the key is to find the one that works for you and that you are comfortable with. I have read Dr. Sear’s book cover to cover, and employ many of his techniques. However, Mac and I do not feel that co-sleeping (or laying with a kid to get them to fall asleep or sleeping in a kid’s bed on a routine basis) works for our family.
This is a big problem for me too Mac, finding enough time for myself while not sacrificing on sleep, which I love. The thing is, I don’t have kids. I cannot imagine how you do it all, and I’m so impressed that you do!