For the Grown-Ups

Everyone's So Tired (Get Some Rest!)

A few days ago, we were sitting in the hall outside of our younger son’s classroom, waiting for our parent-teacher conference to begin. A classmate came out of the door, her parents behind her.

“Well, hey! How are you all?” they asked.

“Tired,” said David, tucked into a chair, looking like he may never get up again.

“You all?”

“We’re so tired!” they replied.

I then noticed the circles under their eyes. There was a collective groan of mutual understanding. “Everyone’s so tired!” Too busy and downright tuckered.

Are you with me? Do you count yourself among the ranks of the too busy and awfully tired?

That’s why we’re devoting this week to “Getting Some Rest.”

But how? In our house, this means saying “no thank you” to non-essential activities for a time, particularly things that are draining. It’s being firm about bedtimes. It’s doing all the things that we know help us to wind down for restful sleep. It’s also stopping when we notice our energy flagging and resting — instead of having another cup of caffeine.

When my kids were little, I often wished we had a third parent: someone who could cheerfully and gently hold my children in whatever-they-were-doing when I was out of steam. I particularly wanted that help at bedtime. You know when you’re so tired you could cry and your kids are resisting their normal nightly routine with great ferocity? I think you’ve got me.

In comes Sparkle. We have stories designed just to help children wind down in the Sparkle Sleepytime Series. We have stories about nighttime fears ( eg: “The Dark” ). We have stories about creating bedtime routines (eg: “Go To Sleep Fairy”). We even have stories about creating a weekly Day of Rest with Martin & Sylvia’s Day of Rest.

So if you need a nap, or just can’t read one more bedtime book, may I encourage you to simply search “sleep” on the Sparkle website? You’ll find there are 101 story options.

(The stories aren’t just for your children; parents have emailed to admit that they listen without their kids, as the stories help them wind down, too!)