Quiet time

As my oldest has gotten older and given up his naps, we have kept "quiet time". For one hour mid-morning, and one hour mid-afternoon, all children either nap or have time on their bed, reading books or playing with one quiet toy. For awhile I wondered if perhaps I was being extraordinarily selfish, unwilling to give up my own quiet times. (I felt better after listening to Susan Wise Bauer's matter-of-fact explanation for why all her children still have a daily "naptime"!) And truly, it seems to be more family-serving than simply self-serving. My theory has been that we all need some down time built into our day. Even my extroverted first born can easily get overwhelmed and fall apart if he's been turbo-charging through the day without a break. His introverted younger brother will disappear into a corner if he's not provided with some space on a regular basis. And introverted mama? Well, she's much nicer if her ears get a rest every so often. :)

This afternoon two of the boys' neighborhood friends were over to play. When I gave the five-minute-warning that it was almost quiet time, the friends were puzzled. "What is quiet time? We only have bed time." I explained that quiet time was not for sleeping, but for resting and reading. And then Jonathan chimed in "I like quiet time. It is a nice time for me to relax."

Exactly, dear one. I'm glad you like it.