Napping and Mothering

I've been in Seattle for a few days now and one of the things we do, because Rachel insists on it is take naps every afternoon from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. At first I thought, "How can I do this thing when I'm on vacation in such a beautiful place and waste precious time?" Then I gave in and participated in this daily ritual that she and Ashlynn have. I've learned so much about napping in the last 3 days.

When I would put my children down for daily naps I would just put them down and they'd eventually drift off. I never did anything special to prepare them for naps, just gave them lunch and put them in their beds.

What does Rachel do? She feeds us lunch. Then she changes into her pajamas, put's Ashlynn in her little pajamas (bottoms only so Ash sleeps topless), encourages me to get into my pj's which I do, and we crawl into bed in dark rooms with windows open so the Seattle breezes can blow through on our faces as we sleep. It's just plain lovely. I feel guilty because I made my children sleep in tight fitting jeans or elastic waste band pants. You can't sleep in Jeans and tight elastic around your waistline. I want to go back and do this part of mothering over again. As Rachel pointed out today, children turn over on their faces and wiggle their bottoms up and down to rock themselves to sleep. "Have you ever tried to wiggle your bottom up and down while going to sleep in tight fitting jeans mom?" she asked. I can't say that I have but I can imagine that the snap in the front would either chaff or pinch.

This younger generation is much more patient and thoughtful in mothering. They are much more relaxed and happy. Rachel walks into Ashlynn's room singing and laughing in the morning and after nap time. I pretend she is coming in singing to me becuase it is so wonderful to hear. I see the same skills in my daughter-in-law Jen and in my nieces who are first-time moms.

In Human Resources we study all of the generations and what their emphasis is and their preferred styles for working and family life. These new GenXers are way ahead of where I was on both fronts. They put family first and want family time and don't rush through it. They want promotions at work and want them fast so they can provide for their families and they also want time off to be with their families. Each generation gets smarter and I see that in the things my children teach me every day - - just by watching them.

Barbara Jordan said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if the entire world could have cookies and milk at 3:00 and then go down for a two-hour nap, the entire world would be a better place." Yogi Berra said, "I always take a two-hour nap from one to four."

I believe that napping is the sleep required for all the time we spend tossing and turning the night before while thinking about the next day's schedule. Up, Up, Up with Pajama naps!