The sleep inside us

We rarely want to go to sleep as adults – there’s always something better to do. So why do we expect our kids to want to do it? They learn by mimicking us by what we do and not by what we say or want. Must be one reason why they learn language only later.

There is a war between the young ones and the entity called sleep. And we are caught in the middle. Tech doesn’t seem to help much. Sure, a bit of white noise helps once in a while. As they grow up they learn the signs of manipulation and just smile at you. As if saying – “Not today”.

For most of the time I manage to make the kid go to sleep only by walking him around the apartment. He will not go to sleep immediately. Walking him around the same places you start to see his face lighten up for apparently no reason. He’s making a map of his surroundings even as a youngling. The colour-changing mouse I have at my desk seemed to catch his attention. The feathers of a dream catcher intrigue him every time. The black cat painted on the wall next to the light switches is also one of his favourites. Somehow he doesn’t understand pictures very well and tries to pet it every time.

After he meets all his favourites places in the house, he relaxes. A few cute yawns and he searches to make his stay in my arms a bit more comfortable. Sleep is around the corner. Almost like magic, time slows down. Eyelids movement do the same. Eyes get heavy and close for a few times. Then open up again. The dance takes a few moments. Breathing slows down. No movement. Victory is around the corner. Victory dance prepared.

Now if you’ve had this dance before you know all kind of things can go wrong. Even if not by your fault. Grandma could be calling, maybe there is somebody at the door. Or it could be helpful wife trying to check on the little one. Magic is gone. Time that was crawling to a halt speeds up like a formula 1 car. He’s awake. Good job everybody. High fives all around the room.

You start the dance again and with a bit of luck you are victorious this time. Now you can relax and enjoy it. All 30 minutes of it. Soon you will hear cute sounds similar to what a young Yoda would make. The force is strong with this one and the dark side of Sleep was defeated.