I’ve been putting off writing this one but know that this delight has an expiration date which will be coming soon.
I don’t know about you but with our 4 kids, napping and bedtime in general always came with a bit of resistance. In some cases more than others. A few of our kids grew out of naps at a very early age as well. As someone who has always advocated for and delighted in them, it’s frustrating to see most kids fight them. But not Herschel.
Herschel is as sweet a boy as they come. He kisses his little brother on the forehead, blows kisses when he leaves and regularly hugs his big sister. That’s not to say he’s not a typical 2-year-old boy. He also yells, loves his hammer and likes to roughhouse with his Papa. (Don’t worry, for all you wondering about it, I also roughhouse with my granddaughter)
But Herschel’s nap times are pure delight. I offer whenever I get the chance to put him down for his nap. He always needs a soft doll, he’s partial to baby Jesus but others can work in a pinch, then you rock him as if he were a newborn, sing a couple of rounds of the alphabet song and he closes his eyes. He never fights it and while he’s not really asleep yet, he keeps his eyes closed as you lay him down and lets you cover him up. You can do this all in almost any time you choose. Some days, I’ll rock him for 10 minutes, he’s fine. Other times I’ll rock him for 2 minutes, he’s fine. You don’t have to tiptoe out of the room or listen to any crying. Anywhere from 90-120 minutes later, he wakes up or occasionally someone has to wake up. Typically he’s very happy to wake up and have a little snack and he’s good to go.
The science around napping is pretty clear and as adults, many of us have the same sense of delight. However, I know many, including my wife who does not know how to nap. I hope Herschel will revisit this habit when he’s older. For now, I know there’s only a few more months where I’ll be able to put him down for his nap. It makes me smile every time.