It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that a child in possession of manic energy must be in want of a good nap.
My ex dropped the kids back at home Sunday morning after they had spent a late night at the circus followed by an early morning donut run. To say there were manic is an understatement. With voices set to volume ten and literally bouncing from the couch to the wall and back again, they possessed a level of manic behavior generally reserved for Disneyland.
And I hadn’t had a cup of tea.
I sent them outside to run laps, which might just put me in the running to win Worst Mother of the Year. Their energy never waned. I sat and watched them through barely functioning eyes around a fuzzy, incoherent brain and had a moment to consider bottling that energy and making a fortune.
Their voices took a desperate edge. Their conversation became bickering. I looked at my kids with their purple rimmed eyes and realized, they needed to sleep.
At the ridiculous hour of 11 a.m., I put them down to naps against protests of “I’m not tired!” and “You’re the meanest Mommy in the whole world”. Ten minutes later, snores wafted from their bedroom.
One of them got up at some point while I was doing dishes. They used the bathroom and then went back to sleep. They slept for over three hours and when they woke up, they were my children again. Calmer, less grumpy, and no bickering. Their volume control was still, of course, at a ten.
In our crazy, busy life, naps are impossible during the week. I was grateful we didn’t have school or work, that it was a weekend when they were pushed to the edge. It’s my go-to solution, guaranteed to take the edge off.
What is your go-to for grumpy, manic kids?
