When Sleep Is Optional (Apparently)
Little Wins with Jimmy – Monday Edition
Jimmy’s a pretty predictable guy when it comes to sleep.
Bedtime? 7:45 PM — like clockwork.
Wake-up? Somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00 AM.
He grabs his buddy, marches up the stairs, and settles in like a pro. No fuss, no drama. I know how lucky I am.
But about once a month… that system goes rogue.
Out of nowhere, Jimmy decides that sleep is optional.
Sometimes that means he’s still bouncing around at midnight.
Other times — like today — he’s wide awake before 4:30 AM.
This morning, I heard him playing in his room at 4:22. And let’s be honest… he might’ve been up for a while before that. 😅
It used to throw me for a loop. I’d spend the day chasing the routine, trying to “fix it” or wear him out. Now? I don’t even fight it. I just label it “one of those days,” ride it out, and remind myself it’ll pass. Because it always does — usually just one day of chaos and then boom, he’s back on schedule like nothing ever happened.
Me? Not so quick to bounce back.
I like my 8 hours of sleep. I function better with it. And unlike Jimmy, I can’t just snap back into rhythm the next day. It takes me a few days to reset. Meanwhile, today is shaping up to be one of those “drag my butt” kind of days. Coffee in hand. Patience in short supply. Plans adapting by the minute.
Normally, I start my day at 5 AM. That first hour and a half before Jimmy wakes up? That’s my time.
It’s when I plan the day… and the backup plan… and the backup for the backup plan. It’s when I do the dishes, sweep the floors, and cross a few things off my list so I can sit down later and work on my books without feeling like the house is falling apart.
Didn’t get that this morning. Won’t cry over it — today.
But when school’s out and mornings like this start stacking up? Yeah, I’ll miss that quiet hour more than I miss hot meals or matching socks.
Today’s agenda (if all goes well):
I’m working on a Mom’s Summer Survival Wordsearch book.
Will it make it to publication? Who knows. But if it does, I’ll come back here and share the link.
For now, I’m off to keep Jimmy from dancing on the table, feed him breakfast before he’s supposed to be awake, and see what kind of Monday magic we can muster.
Wish me luck.
My eldest used to wake up early play, read bounce around. Sometimes he would go back to sleep others not. Trying to do a full time job on little or no sleep was impossible. When I spoke to the doctor he asked if I needed my sleep. Yes. Was Robert safe? Yes. Then let him play. He needs to play for now, you need your sleep. That way you will both survive.
Children have a routine but they need to fill a void or get rid of excess. What would he do if you didn’t get up with him or has he got up because he was hungry and needed topping up
When he decides hes not going to sleep, I am more likely to fall asleep in the the living room with him, and he just plays, but when he wakes up early its a little harder, we live in a duplex, and there are other people to consider, Dad generally gets up at 3am, and I at 5 so, if we are already up it just makes sense to let him up if he’s ready. This particular morning I had woken up to use the bathroom, and Dad was hoping he would go back to sleep, which does sometimes happen. It makes for a smoother rest of the day if he falls back asleep, it just doesn’t always happen 🙂