Sleep is for the Weak

I’ve been telling Mummy and Daddy this for a long time now. I will not be dictated to by your grown-up conventions!  Why should I sleep just because it’s dark outside?  And what happens in the summer when it’s still light at 10 o’clock at night?  There, you didn’t think that through, did you?!

Mummy has a lot of books about babies and what to expect, what to look for, what I should be doing by various milestones.  Thankfully, since she met me, she takes them as a guide only and not Gospel.  Without fail, they have big chapters on sleep; how long I should be sleeping, when, where.  Come on!  Only a bit later comes the chapter that says I’m an individual.

Mummy and I used to go to our local Children’s Centre quite a  bit when I was little, and I heard so many of the ladies there giving Mummy ‘good advice’ like “Sleep when your baby sleeps.”  Ha ha!  It was quite funny watching them looking at her disapprovingly when she told them that I don’t sleep during the day (sleep is for the weak, I told you).  I smiled sweetly from her knee, looking up at the huge bags under her eyes, big enough to carry all my nappy changing gear.

I did feel for her a bit, but not too much.  She’s a strong lady.  The healthcare professionals used to tell her not to worry about doing the housework and focus on catching up on sleep.  True enough – why do chores when you can play with me?  And so I don’t nap.  I want to make sure she doesn’t miss anything, it only seems fair.  It stresses her out sometimes – she says we live in chaos (Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome) but she’ll get over it. 

The books say I should be reducing my nap times now anyway, so maybe I’ll conform eventually.

CB