Naptime

     “That’s my stick!”

     “No it isn’t!”

     “Yes it is!”

     “You’re stick is over there!”

     “No it’s not!”

     “Yes it is!”

     Abel made a grab for the stick in his brother’s hand. He was rewarded with a hard stroke across his ear. His shriek of pain and anger filled the little cave. It crashed off every hard surface and shattered the last of his mother’s patience.

     “That’s it!” She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes. Some of the scream went out of her voice. “That is it! You two have done nothing but argue all morning—Cain!”

     She pierced the boy with her glare.

     “Put the stick down. Now.”

     The thing clattered to the floor.

     Eve seized each of the boys by an arm and marched them deep into the warm interior of the cave. She stopped at a pile of blankets and animal skins heaped at the back.

     She settled them on the pile, arranging them where they couldn’t touch each other. She looked down upon them and uttered words that would ring throughout history in the mouths of exhausted mothers everywhere.

     “It’s nap time.”

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     I don’t know whether Eve really invented naptime or not. I do know she had two boys and I doubt that famous incident that ended with Abel dead was their first argument. At some point, it had to occur to her that a break in the middle of the day might be a good idea. Kids get tired.

     When I was in Kindergarten, they still made us take naps after lunch recess. I’m not sure if they still do or not. They should. My own kids have to take a break after lunch. I encourage those who can sleep to do so, although they all maintain that their not tired. Still, the four-year-old tends to fall asleep more days than not. Even the eight-year-old crashes sometimes when he was up late the night before or it has been a big morning.

     I wouldn’t mind a nap midday myself, although that’s a more unattainable dream than publishing a novel at this point. Gotta have priorities. I would never sleep if I didn’t have to, but when I’m tired my body can be quite insistent.

     Still, I think I will keep naptime an institution in my home until the kids are grown and leave. Everyone needs a little quiet time during the day, a time they are guaranteed some peace uninterrupted. Even a teenager’s life (especially a teenager’s life) is full of hectic activity and an hour to stop everything and read a book could mean a lot.

     We are very busy at our house and people ask how we handle four kids and the challenges of homeschooling. The truth is, putting the kids down for a nap is as much for us as for them. That is our chance to talk, to rest, to get ready for the rest of the day. It is an island of peace in a sea of chaos. If Eve did pioneer the childhood siesta then I applaud her. Many thanks O mother of us all.