Wednesday, June 07, 2006

dreaming of a nap

You know the saying short-term pain, long-term gain? Well, it is just as true when you turn it around to be 'short-term gain, long-term pain'. In my parenting life, it is always exactly like that. Whenever I try to cut corners with my kid-wrangling, there is always the price to be paid.

Last night, my three-year-old son woke and summonsed me. He was sitting up, wide awake. Cheerily, he informed me that the bed felt wet. I pulled back the covers. Yep. Feels wet, looks wet, is wet. Funny that.

For some reason, I had been silly enough to stay up until half past 11 the night before. It was just so peaceful. I was reading a great book by Kate Grenville. I was relaxing. Manababies will understand. So in the wee hours of the morning, with the cold floorboards chilling my soles, and my soft bed begging me to hurry back, I chose to ignore the wet sheets. I wiped down and re-dressed Ben in dry clothing, and scurried to The Big Bed (as it is called in our house) with child in tow.

I should explain that our bed is a smallish Big Bed, as Big Beds go. Fatty and I fit well in said bed, but add a squirmy child, and I, Princess Sleeper, can only achieve fitful slumber. I knew this, but I thought ..... I'm not sure what I thought actually. Perhaps something like cold, cold, sleepy, find bed again. So in hopped Ben and I, and we were certainly all warm. Warm, but awake. Or rather, Ben and I were awake, tossing and turning as we bumped knees and hands and feet and the mattress bumped with each movement. Fatty was fast asleep. He could sleep with a bugle playing in his ear. Or in a bed full of caterpillars (which I suppose is a more appropriate analogy for last night).

An hour later, I had to admit defeat. I stripped Ben's sodden sheets, I remade the bed, I reinstalled Ben with cuddle sheet and toy puppy. I answered a few more questions about the habitat of crocodiles. I refused to answer any more questions about crocodiles. An hour and a half later, we both got back to sleep. It could have been 15 minutes, if only I'd remembered the short-term gain rule.

Ben slept in so late that I had to wake him to take Laura to school. He's fine, he's bright as a button. Now, do you think he'll notice if I just rest my eyes for a minute......

10 comments:

Susan Tidwell said...

Could've been worse, I was afraid you were going to say your bed ended up getting wet also!

The joys of parenting, don't worry it gets better. Well, some day it will. Well, after it gets worse when they are teenagers. Well, maybe it will get better when they move out...

Motherkitty said...

Kids will have accidents, won't they? Ah, the joys of motherhood. It's either feast or famine.

It could have been worse. You could have had both kids up, and sick, and changing all the beds (has this happened before?). Anyway, all's well that ends well, at least for little Ben.

Mom, you've really got to stop indulging yourself with a few minutes of delicious privacy all by yourself just idling reading a book. Do you see where it gets you?

Heather said...

I hope you get some rest, my friend!

manababies said...

Heheheh.

Not meaning to laugh AT you, but this is definitely something I would attempt to do. In fact, I do things similar to this (cutting corners) throughout my day, only to have to pay for it sooner or later in the form of whining and tantrums (although I refuse to admit who is doing the whining or having the tantrum).

I hope he let you close your eyes for a moment today :)

Val said...

So, were you reading "The secret river", or maybe "The idea of perfection"? Both fabulous books, but then I haven't read a Grenville book I didn't love.

We too have a small Big Bed, always get lost in the beds in hotels. Waste of space really, we wind up taking up only a small fraction of the space available.

Wet beds: this too will pass.

Kerri said...

The human mind works less than perfectly when it's groggy with too little sleep. As mothers, most of us can attest to that.
As bloggers, most of us can attest to that!!!
Many a night I've stayed awake too late reading a good book. It's escapology. Nothing nicer :) Hard though, when you're the mum of little ones.
Hope you got a nap!

doubleknot said...

Wet beds - this too shall pass. You are right you should have changed the sheets and put him back to bed - a few minuets for more sleep.

Franny said...

Wow, that used to be my life! Now we've trained the kids (and it was bootcamp) to sleep in their own beds & now they love it. Exceptions are made in the case of illness/colds/flus/nightmares, etc. So nevermind. There is always a kid in our bed.

Sounds like you need another bed, hidden in the house, to sneak away to once they are all asleep in your bed...

Jellyhead said...

Hey, Franny, I like that idea! Only, I might just end up going to the spare bed whenever kids get in our bed, whenever Fatty snores, whenever I'm grumpy with Fatty..... hang on - I'll never be in our room!!

Val, I'm reading 'Dreamhouse'. I've also read 'Lilian's Story' and 'Dark Places' and 'The Idea of Perfection' - all brilliant, like you say!

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

It's been so long ago since my children were babies, but you seem to be doing the same things that I did when my children were young. Times really haven't changed much for us mothers. Things do get better, then much worse, then better again.