Parenting
Why This Mom Struggles to ‘Just’ Hit the Hay
I’ve been in a constant state of exhaustion for what feels like a decade. Honestly, I’ve lost track of the years. Like many parents, I navigate life in a relentless haze of sleep deprivation. It’s impressive that we function at all, right?
When our kids are newborns, we’re perpetually tired because babies clearly don’t care about our need for a solid eight hours of sleep. They operate on their own schedule, and we’re just along for the ride. We naively think that once they start sleeping through the night, we will, too. Spoiler alert: My youngest is now 4, and I’m still waiting for that refreshing sleep.
By 6:30 PM, I’m yawning like it’s my job. But there’s a never-ending list of tasks: dinner, cleaning, homework, baths, and the whole bedtime ordeal. I grit my teeth and push through the fatigue. By the time the kids are finally in bed, I look like a raccoon that just ran a marathon. “Just go to bed,” my husband says helpfully, as he hops into bed and starts snoring within three minutes. I can’t help but envy his ability to “just” turn it all off.
Every day, I tell myself I’ll get to bed early, but as soon as I head toward the bedroom, it’s like a series of unfortunate events unfolds. It usually goes down like this:
- I go upstairs, ready to sleep. Did I remember to lock the front door? Back downstairs I go.
- Oh wait, there’s a pile of clothes in the bathroom! I grab them and head to the laundry room instead.
- I see my son’s favorite shirt and know he’ll want it tomorrow, so I pop a load in the washer. I swear I’m going to bed right after this!
- I notice the dog’s water bowl is empty and refill it.
- What’s that smell? Oh no, it’s the trash! I can’t start my day with that odor, so I take it out and replace the bag.
- We’re almost out of trash bags. I need to check the grocery list. What else did I forget? Oh yeah…hairspray.
- Wait, the school’s canned food drive! I rummage through the pantry for cans to stuff into backpacks.
- While I’m at it, I might as well sign my son’s homework folder. Better to do it now than forget in the morning.
- I place the backpacks by the door and remember the front door lock — which is why I came down in the first place. Now, I’m really going to bed.
- Oh wait, did I check the back door?
- On my way, I trip over a shoe — just one! I better find the other one so there won’t be a frantic search in the morning.
- While searching for that lost shoe, I step on something sticky. I get paper towels, then realize I need a new roll, which is in the laundry room. While I’m there, I see the washer has only 10 minutes left. I can find something to do for 10 minutes, then put the clothes in the dryer. I’m definitely going to bed!
- I clean the sticky mess and decide to unload the dishwasher while I wait.
- Since I’m in the kitchen, I might as well pack the kids’ lunches for tomorrow. The washer dings while I’m making sandwiches, but I finish up anyway.
- I put the laundry in the dryer, only to find a load in there already — wrinkling away. I can’t just let it go, especially since I spot one of my husband’s work shirts inside.
- I fold the laundry and think it wouldn’t hurt to lay out the kids’ outfits for school.
- Finally, I’m really going to bed this time.
- Well, after I brush my teeth, wash my face, and apply the wrinkle cream that promises I’ll wake up looking rested. Oh, the irony.
To make matters worse, even though I’m exhausted, I often find myself wide awake by the time my head hits the pillow. So, I decide to check my phone — which spirals into a rabbit hole of email, Pinterest, and Facebook articles, including crucial quizzes like “Which Disney Princess Are You?” Meanwhile, my husband is snoring like a freight train beside me, making it even harder to drift off.
Wait, didn’t we just get a notice from the cable company about a late payment? Maybe I should go check that out…