"Mommy, can I sleep in your bed?"
These were the quietly spoken words that woke me up at 4:30 this morning. The alarm was set to go off at 5:00, so, what the heck?
"Sure, sweetie," I responded, and made room for my 8 year old son to snuggle in between my husband and me.
I think he was asleep the moment his head hit my pillow. I was not quite so fortunate. Having my son join us in our queen-sized bed means I am left to teeter on the edge and fight to keep at least a corner of the covers, not to mention the need to perform the occasional evasive maneuver to avoid being whacked in the face by a flinging arm. It isn't at all unusual to wake up to find a leg or even a head resting heavily on top of me. In fact, when the alarm did go off, I looked over to find Jack's arm draped across my husband's face.
Ah, sleep. Who really needs it anyway? I sometimes joke that I haven't had a decent night's sleep in the last 13 years. Only I'm not sure it's actually a joke. My older son turns 13 in July. Coincidence? I don't think so. For some reason, motherhood and sleep seem to be mutually exclusive. Any little noise in the night and I'm awake.
Even though I know I won't be getting much more sleep as a result, it is only rarely that I turn down these heartfelt requests. It's a small thing, really, and it means a lot to him. I know the day is right around the corner when he will no longer wander down the hallway in the middle of the night, seeking the comfort of his parents' bed. Although I love where my boys are now and their growing independence, there are days when I miss having babies and toddlers whom I can scoop up into my arms and hold tightly. These nighttime visits are as close as I can get to those days, so I will cherish these precious moments of having my slumbering child curled up warmly next to me while I can.
There will be plenty of time for sleep later.
I hear that! I figure there's plenty of time to sleep later; my little girl won't be little forever :)
ReplyDeleteI have a 20 month old and it seems as if sleep evades us! Last night she slept the entire night, not once standing up at the end of her crib and yelling "ma ma ma ma" until I rescued her for a few moments of cuddle. The first thing I said to my husband "I feel like a different person in the morning when she sleeps through the night!" It's so true! I look forward to those later years, but I know I'll miss these. So I keep running to that mama call, every single night :)
ReplyDeleteLove this. There will be time to sleep later but they will not be little forever.
ReplyDeleteSavor these days. I too can recall my son's ventures to our bedroom at 4:00 a.m. to crawl in between us and then off to sleep. Like you, I was often left teetering on the edge of the bed.
ReplyDeleteThx for this reminder.
I'm insomniac and wrote about this for one of my slices, so as I read the comments about "time for sleep later," I'm laughing a little because the teenage years bring even less sleep for parents and because middle age wrecks havoc on the Circadian rhythms. I tell people I haven't slept the past 30 years; it's not quite true, but close enough.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter turns eighteen tomorrow. A few days ago, she climbed into bed with me to cry about this a bit. She's has a charmed childhood, and I don't think she wants to let it go any more than I do. Ironically, she never climbed into bed with us when she was little. I treasure these snuggly moments now, though.....
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