When you become a parent, you hear a lot of suggestions about what to do while the kids are sleeping. This time, whether it's an afternoon nap or a night's sleep, feels like something magical.
Author of humorous parenting books, Father Clint Edwards, in the entry below, he candidly explains what parents really do when their children fall asleep.
"When I wasn't working and I was at home with the children all day, I read somewhere how parents should use the time when their children are sleeping. The fact is that naps usually last from a few minutes to a few hours, and sometimes this is the only thing a parent needs to calm down and not go "crazy" to the end. I think this is much more important than a clean and tidy house. So let's be honest", says Clint Edwards.
He listed quite a few things that parents actually do while their little ones sleep. Let's take a look at five of them.
1. They sit on the couch and enjoy those few moments when no one is climbing all over them.
Children climb on you, pull you, complain and whine, and with each additional child the climbing, pulling, complaining and whining increases. And sometimes you feel like you're going to "burst." That's why the afternoon nap is the only opportunity for a parent who spends the whole day with their children to sit down in peace and feel like a human being.
I want to emphasize, this in no way means that we do not love our children and their inexhaustible source of energy. But if you spend a whole day with them, you know what I'm talking about. Naps can be the only time a full-time parent has to rest (even if it's just 15 minutes) in their favorite recliner.
2. They're finally watching something they're really interested in.
There are some things that almost disappear when kids come along, like watching TV shows. It seems to you that there is nothing but cartoons. You need something that helps you feel like you're part of the grown-up world. Watching something on TV or the computer that really interests you gives you the strength to get through the rest of the day. With this, you confirm that there is something else in the world besides your children and children's world.
3. They read a book in which there are no illustrations.
Like most other parents, I know my children's fairy tales and children's books by heart. In fact, I know almost the entire section of children's books in our library. And most of the time I feel like I live with children and their favorite literary heroes. But, as an adult, I have to admit that I miss adult books that feed our brains. The ones that have real content, real plot, structure and complex sentences, and that tell me something about the real world. I believe I am not the only one who admits that I use the time when the children are sleeping to read a book in silence and feel happy.
4. Sexuality
For parents of young children, there are only a few occasions when they can enjoy sex - these are afternoon naps, evening hours when the children are sleeping. Or when the children are with a third party, be it grandmother, grandfather, nanny, etc.
All options have their drawbacks. When it comes to naps, they usually don't last long enough, and by the time the kids fall asleep at night, you're too tired to do anything else. What's certain is that if you have a choice between having sex and cleaning the house when the kids are asleep, choose sex.
5. Sleep
After only getting a few hours of sleep last night, it's so easy to fall asleep with the kids during an afternoon nap. And trust me, an afternoon nap after spending most of the night awake is one of the best things in life!
