Last night I lost the battle. When I get tired. I mean really tired. To the point where I just can’t stay awake. When I get that tired my eyes start to water. My natural reaction is to shut them, and after that it is all over. So when that started to happen to me at 7:30 last night I knew we were in trouble.
The bigger issue was the kids were also tired after our trip to the Botanical Gardens and a late lunch, but they had the luxury of sleeping in the car and then continuing to nap until 5:30 when I decided they had to get up or no one was ever going to get to sleep in this house.
Both boys are past the stage of even needing naps, but they will still take them, and when they get tired they sleep. When I start feeling tired I either grab a cup of coffee or a hot shower and in a home full of kids that sometimes isn’t possible.
Seeing the danger looming I told my wife that I was finished. I was no help to anyone. I had lost the battle and all I could do was lay down in bed and go to sleep. I questioned why my body had lost function and she did as well saying that with all the cardio I’ve been doing at the gym a walk through the Botanical Gardens shouldn’t do me in. Then she realized I hadn’t drinking much water while at the gardens. I did drink a full glass at dinner and have some when we got home, but that might be it.
The gym cardio isn’t exactly intense. I really don’t push myself to any limit. I am mainly there to listen to audio books, and that has to be the mentality or I won’t be doing any cardio and will die before 50 of a massive heart attack. So, the gym is for listening to audio books. I just happen to be on an exercise bike or elliptical machine while doing so.
The Botanical Gardens yesterday was under the heat of the mid-day sun, with unseasonably warm temperatures, and longer than 30 minutes. Combine that with my not drinking water while doing this and sweeting more than usual do to it being too hot with a jacket on and too cold with it off and we have the recipe for exhaustion.
There we were at bedtime with one parent completely useless but wanting to feel useful. I made a suggestion. My wife a while back had an idea of everyone crawling into our king sized bed and going to sleep. I mentioned that is what we should do, and so I crawled into bed and went to sleep. I believe a few children and my wife joined me. I don’t recall exactly. I am certain I had the appearance of being awake for a bit of that but my memory of it is gone.
I remember laying down in bed, my wife telling me all the kids were in their bed, and then waking up this morning.
Being a parent is exhausting, the kids will always win, and some days you need to end early.
David Huzzard Writes 