Had a fascinating experience on Saturday. We had company on Friday (everybody in my husband’s clinic, plus spouses and children). I tried very hard not to be too stressed but getting things done ahead of time. I’ve already noticed how my children reflect my stress, but this time I thought we all were handling it quite well. We had about 12 adults and six children. The kids had a blast, and played hard. They went to bed a little later than they normally do, but not much.
Then Saturday morning hit. I know what they say about cleaning up before you go to bed after a party, but this expectant mama wasn’t going to do it. Lee and I spent some time in the morning on the computer (avoiding the kitchen). What was fascinating was David. Now, he’s gotten rather pokey getting ready in the morning, and since I’m forever hurrying him up, I have decided to let him get ready in the morning at his pace (that usually means playing with his toys in his bedroom as he’s getting dressed).
The problem was, when I went in to check on him (he was taking a very long time), he was lying down on his bed. He said he was very tired. Then later, he had fallen asleep. I think he was asleep most of the morning, and into the afternoon. I finally went in around 2:00 and woke him up for lunch. In the middle of lunch, he excused himself to go to the bathroom, but instead he went to lie down.
Lee and I considered what was going on in his little head. It is true that he played very hard the night before. He did go to bed somewhat late (although no later than a midweek service night). Still, it seemed a little extreme even for these factors. Then we realized that his room was a mess– all his puzzles were out (and overturned), his cars were scattered, and he had clothes on his floor. We wondered whether his lethargy was because of his environment, so instead of starting with the kitchen, we started with his room. Sure enough, he perked up immediately and was fine the rest of the day.
We think this was the problem. Wow! But it shouldn’t surprise me, because I react the same way many times.