Today, I was catching up on some reading and I noticed over and over again the same topics over a period of time (fall 08) about several topics. Then I stopped reading and sat back and started to think about the conversations I had heard and the two topics suddenly crashed and I could clearly see how the one directly impacted the other and how together these things create a spiral which whirls with verocious speed and catches each of us in it and pulls us down.
I am talking about the frenzy of the the percieved vs the reality of the actual. Over and over these past few weeks I have talked to women specificially about what from a distance are everyday life occurances. These normal daily events whether it is a child who is not sleeping well to a mountain of bills coming in, somehow become this huge insurmountable issue that consumes our every waking thought, energy and wakes us up at night. So what is going on?
What has changed? I am pretty sure that those same bills have been coming just like clock work your entire adult life. That is not any different. Children of all ages are growing and changing and so do their habits and bodies, so that is not any different.
What I have expereinced is that when we listen to others outside of ourselves, such as the constant barage of talking heads about how bad everything is and how some huge number of folks are doing this or going under, we begin to be caught up in this frenzy. This is no different that a shark feeding frenzy, it becomes addictive, like a soap opera and we must tune in to see what happens next.
S.T.O.P. you are creating the thing that you are suffering from. Turn off the news! Establish consistent routines with your family. Say NO! The world will not end if you do not go to XYZ or participate in XYZ. No one will remember that you didn’t bake 5 dozen cookies, say NO! Your reputation will not go down the drain if you do not attend a party or go out.
One of the things that I read so many times was the importance of SLEEP. Here’s a brief example of what your own child should be getting: Age: 1 to 4 months 14 1/2 to 16 1/2 hours, 1 to 3 years, 12 to 14 hours, 3 to 6 years 10 to 12 hours, 7 to 12 years, 10 to 11 years, 13 to 18 years 8 to 9 hours, EVERY NIGHT! This is not my statistic but the Atrlantic Health Pediatric Slelep Center. Children must have sleep in order to function well in school, repair and grow every night and to LEARN. That my friend is your responsibility as the parent.
Adults too need sleep! If you are not performing at a level that is adequate might guess is that you are not sleeping enough.
It is Friday, go to bed early tonight, stay in, say NO to whatever is planned for the weekend and rest. Have some fun with your family and
