Monday 9 July 2007

Let me sleep!

Ah Sleep! I love to sleep. When I was young, I used to piss mum off by sleeping instead of studying for my exams. I can’t help it! Studying makes me sleepy. Mum used to threaten “If you continue sleeping like this, you’re going to end up working in the assembly lines at the factory!”

The funny thing is, sleep starts to evade you as you get older. It becomes a luxury when you have kids. I used to get up several times a night to feed/pat/comfort the kids until they were 4 years old! I suppose being around a sleep-deprived mum wasn’t much fun then!

I still love sleeping now. When I lie down on my bed to watch TV or read a book, I’ll be nodding off in ten minutes. I even fall asleep at the movie theatre, to the kids’ dismay because I always miss the exciting parts. Then again, to kids, every part is exciting... Yet, getting quality sleep is still a challenge today. When I’m happily dozing off, the kids would pounce on me, jolting me awake. “You’re going to give me a heart attack one day!” With my heart pumping wildly, it’s tough getting back to sleep again.

As a parent, you’d instinctively know if the kids are feeling unwell. I often wake up in the middle of the night to find them with a tummy ache or running a fever. These days, even Rusty would nudge me awake in the wee hours, seeking comfort. I’ll pat him on the head “Good boy, go sleep now”. He’ll wander back to his corner to continue snoozing while I toss and turn for a long time before drifting off.

Anxiety deprives me of a good sleep too. If there's something important to do in the morning, I’d wake up every hour to check the clock. That said, I don’t really need an alarm clock to wake me up at 5.30am every morning to get the kids ready for school. The body clock rings internally.

The sad thing is, when the kids are all grown up and you have less chores and worries, you don’t need so much sleep anymore. I often wake up at 3am in the morning to find my dad watching TV or mum wide awake. “Can’t sleep!” they say.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't weird how MOST parents are the same??? I usually wake up at Aly's slightest whimper...but lately I'm sleep deprived because of those stupid mosquitos! Is Rusty a Jack Russel??? I really want ONE. How CUUUUTE!

Blur Ting said...

I know! Sometimes they don't even have to make a sound... Yes, Rusty's a jack russell. He was very active when younger but so mellow now.

Anonymous said...

Awwww. I love Jack Russells. They'r such NAUGHTY little dogs :)

Epimenides said...

I love my sleep! Especially snoozing after the alarm goes off in the morning! :)

The Real Mother Hen said...

ah sleep... I love sleeping too :)

Anonymous said...

Sleep? Hmm...I vaguely remember something like that. I think I liked it too.

Unknown said...

I'm an insomniac [It's almost 2 am right now]
I sleep late then since I don't work and don't have kids - but at night I just can't sleep

Blur Ting said...

Oh dear RM. You do have a sleeping problem, but I'm not surprised cos you probably have too much on your mind. I just heard that eating a banana before bedtime will soothe you and help you to sleep.

Anonymous said...

I used to dog sit a little fox terrier named Oreo. Of course, I would only address him as "Cookie". Anyway, Oreo would "vibe me awake" in the morning. He wouldn't jump on me. He wouldn't bark. He would just plant himself about three feet away from my bed and stare at me - tail wagging wildly - until I "sensed" him, and woke up. I swear it worked! I loved that little pup.

Blur Ting said...

Oh Holly, that's so true! At one time, YK used to have sleepless nights and he would just stand by my bed quietly (freaky I know) looking so forlorn. Somehow, I would know. I think we all have this 'awareness'. So I can truly believe that a person in coma can really see everything that's going on around them.

Unknown said...

The funny thins is my hubby is so lucky he can sleep at any time anywhere. I envy that although because I don't work perhaps thats why once I start, it'll probably get better

PS: I love bananas

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