It really is a valuable time, and not just for me! Since the boys get so much time together, I can see that it's healthy for them to have that time apart (one of them in the boys' bedroom and one in the guest room); and usually by the end of quiet time, they are ready to come together again and play happily, often choosing an activity that one or the other of them was thinking about during quiet time.
Tobin, of course, still naps every afternoon; but sometimes if he's not quite ready for his nap, I'll get him set up in the bouncy seat in the doorway of one of the rooms so he can watch one or the other of his big brothers. Then, after a while, I carry him off to his room, after he gets a hug and a kiss from both Josiah and David, and tuck him in his crib.
Occasionally, if one of the "big" boys is sick, or has been unusually tired and grumpy in the morning, or is going to stay up late that night for whatever reason, I have him take a nap. But unless there are special circumstances, they do just fine with quiet time...and it sure makes it easier for them to go to sleep in the evening when they haven't napped during the daytime.
During quiet time, they play with toys, look at books, draw pictures, etc. And sometimes, even when I don't plan on them napping, they fall fast asleep.
Like Josiah did on the guest bed one day last week...
Like David did in Josiah's bed yesterday...
And like Josiah did yesterday in Tobin's bouncy seat in the upstairs hall...
I can't imagine that he was very comfortable in that, but he slept that way for quite a while!When things get very quiet upstairs, I usually tiptoe up to see where everyone is. I never get tired of watching my boys sleep. I'll definitely be the kind of mother who still creeps into her 15 year-old son's room in the middle of the night to pull up the covers and give him an extra kiss. :)
********
On another, much more serious note, I was reading this blog last night of a family in Kansas whose 11 month-old daughter Cora recently died of cancer. They only discovered that she had cancer about 3 weeks before she moved on to heaven and the comforting arms of Jesus. Three weeks is not long, not very long at all. As parents, how would you ever prepare your heart in such a short time? If you have a few moments and need a wake-up call to love your own children more tenderly and patiently today, I highly recommend reading about Cora. And please, say a prayer for her family. Their faith in God and the support system they have around them is sustaining them, but I can only imagine that such grief is far beyond words.
11 comments:
I just looked at that blog and I'm sitting here in tears. It felt like the whole year that passed from my mom's diagnoses with cancer to her death was such a short time I can't imagine having only that three weeks. Sweet little Cora reminded me so much of Elissa!
Josiah asleep in the bouncy is hilarious!
Davene, thanks for sharing the link to Cora's end-of-life story. I am sitting here crying. I can't imagine the pain of her parent's grief. It is so hard to think about God in this context, but still we have to trust him. He is the creator of life, so he is bigger than life. My own children are even more precious to me now.
Boo hasn't managed an afternoon nap for over a year. At first it was easier to have him up, but now I'd love a little time in the afternoon. Love the picture of Josiah asleep.
Oh, I do love the quiet time routine! I am sure I will be implementing that whenever Paul & Hannah are too old for real naps. It is amazing what positions your children can sleep in!
My boys napped every day until they started school. I was afraid they wouldn't make it through an 8-3 day, most days they fell asleep in the car on the way home. Now that we are home schooling, we adhere to the two hour quiet time every day, they may nap or read. My Carson LOVES his naps, calls them "refreshing." It's up to us as moms to see what our kids need and to enforce it, in time they really learn to appreciate the "down time" and they get along so well after the break. Great photos, especially that last one. Funny!
I really like the idea of a quiet time; it sounds very useful. That is definitely one of those parenting tips I'm keeping in my "back pocket." [smile]
~Luke
I LOVE to hear about your quiet time!!! I had that growing up! It was really good for us kids because it taught us to cherish the time we had with each other and with my parents and it taught us to settle down and learn how to read and think or play in a creative quiet way! I got so used to it that I still have to have a quiet time in my day as a sort of treat!! You are doing such a great job raising those hansom boys!!!
Thanks for telling us about Cora and her baby. I will keep her and her family in my prayers.
The sleeping in the bouncer picture is way too cute. Quiet time is so great for children. I know with the little boy that I nanny, even if he doesn't nap whenever I put him down just having that hour and a half of down time does wonders for his mood.
Have a blessed day!
~Charree
I love it. My mom instilled this into our schedules when we were kids as well. And now I am in love with quiet times :) Even though I don't have any kids yet, I love having the afternoons quiet for reading and studying. :)
Those pictures of the boys are adorable! :)
Eli will surely have a 2 hour quiet time! For now he naps for 2 hours every 2 hours...So, I feel I have it made! :o)
Post a Comment