Dear Car Nap,
Thank you. Thank you, for allowing my children to sleep on the days or nights when they refuse to do so in their beds no matter how softly I soothe, hard I fight, or attempt to ignore. Thank you for providing them the perfect cocktail of white noise and soothing vibration which can often instantaneously cause them to curl up in their carseats and drift away. When my daily goal was no more than to “get my twins to nap at the same time,” you allowed me to feel as though I succeeded…even when it was likely causing more problems than solving them. Thank you for giving me a chance to just stop and regroup on hard days.
I admit, we work better together in small doses and in daytime hours. I don’t need anymore nighttime company than young twins and a husband. We had a moment of time when we saw you every afternoon and also nightly at three in the morning. Between us, this is too much. More akin to a bitter medicine being forced down my throat than to the occasional gift. I appreciate you, but I also need some space. So much time together is not relaxing or recharging or re-anything except really, really, really, exhausting.
But still, sometimes you know me better than I know myself. As a stay-at-home mom, I treasure nap times to DO ALL THE THINGS. I exercise, clean the floors, do the dishes, cook dinner, catch up on work or pay the bills (and, occasionally, scroll Facebook or lust over vacations on Instagram). Naps at home are precious. I have lived through periods where none existed and these times involved more tears from everyone involved. But sometimes my body needs to stop. Thank you for providing me with one of the rare times when I am forced to sit down and do nothing but rest my weary bones, listen to podcasts, and find the closest Starbucks drive-thru. When we spend time together, I leave with more patience and energy for the rest of the day. You may be a fickle friend, sometimes enduring slumber against my wishes or ending in a race home for the bathroom, but I appreciate your efforts all the same.
The brief respites you provide allow me to judge my neighbor’s front door colors, locate a new, faster route to the doctor, appreciate the changing seasons, or stop at the drive-thru ATM. When I was brand-new in town and later while house hunting, you provided me ample opportunity to explore. Sure, the word “explore” is a bit of a stretch when I can only drive approximately 6 miles from our current home (no way do I want to be 30 minutes away when my daughters suddenly decide their car seat is a straight-jacket) but it was still helpful. I now know these neighborhood streets like the back of my hand. And I did, in fact, locate our new home within that slim radius. So, thanks! It’s a great house.
So, thank you. Thank you for recognizing that we moms sometimes need to STOP. Thank you for providing comfort and near consistency at a time when there was little. I fear our time together is coming to a close, as my girls grow and begin to age out of naps altogether. I will miss you, dear friend. And I hope you’ll still pop up during long car trips. Please.
Sincerely,
Kristen
