Where Do Kids Get Their Energy?

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. I didn’t medicate her, but she had a low-grade fever again and slept a lot during the morning and again for a little bit in the afternoon. She didn’t eat her lunch and barely touched her dinner. How many signs does a mom need to realise a nightmare night is on the way?</p><p id="7e00">Well, to be honest, ignorance is bliss. I didn’t know what I was in for, so I didn’t suffer or panic beforehand. I venture to say that was a small blessing.</p><p id="8a60">The two-year-old was feeling a bit better by Monday evening, so I thought she was on the mend. Ah, so naive… Monday night was an absolute nightmare, but the sickness seemed to be completely gone on Tuesday!</p><p id="cea2">She fell asleep easily on Monday evening but couldn’t stay asleep. Her breathing was laboured (not enough to be a worry, but enough to keep waking her up), she kept on coughing, and she was altogether uncomfortable. Even snuggles didn’t help her sleep. So, of course, I didn’t sleep either. I felt very sorry for her, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I felt very sorry for myself, too. One hour with a sick toddler in the middle of the night feels so much longer than a whole week. It never ends. At half past two in the morning, she developed a slight fever, so I decided to finally medicate her, hoping that we could both get some sleep. And we did, for half an hour. Then she was up for the day at 3:30 am. I still kept her in the bedroom for a little while, trying to get her to sleep again; after all, I knew she didn’t sleep enough. No luck, though. She was having none of it.</p><p id="285a">You know, I like to think I’m a good mom. One of those modern parents who use love and support at all times. I try my best to listen to my kids, understand their point of view and use my adult brain to deal with the situations we come across in a mature and level-headed way. Let’s just say that at 4 am, with barely 30 minutes of sleep, I hadn’t much kindness left in me. I managed not to cry or shout, but it was hard work. I knew I couldn’t deal with her, so I woke up my husband, even though it was his “night off”. I needed him to watch her; I desperately needed some sleep.</p><p id="a29d">There’s nothing like having a partner in life. Not only a husband by title or a fa

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ther by DNA, but an actual partner that shares responsibilities, chores, and everything else life brings our way. I don’t know how I would cope if my husband weren’t such a great partner, always so involved with the kids and supportive of me. I couldn’t have gotten up with my two-year-old; I had no energy, and I felt drunk with tiredness and incapable of coherent thinking. My husband took the toddler downstairs, and I slept for three blissful hours.</p><p id="5fb8">Meanwhile, after some warm soya milk, the toddler decided she needed extra sleep, too. She slept for another two hours, and so did my husband. At least, until the three-year-old woke up.</p><p id="ba90">I wouldn’t say that was enough sleep for either me or the toddler, but she vehemently disagrees. She’s been dancing and jumping around the house all day long — as if she’s not only feeling better from her cold but also has extra energy to spend. Where she could possibly have got all that energy from is a mystery! If only she could share some of it… I feel depleted. I can’t wait for bedtime tonight — I’ll go to bed as soon as the girls are asleep.</p><p id="315b">Here is hoping that tonight the three-year-old will let me sleep without too many interruptions. After all, the parent who has the “night off” is in charge of the three-year-old, and that can mean anything from sleeping through the night (winning the lotto would be easier for sure!) to several wakes, bouts of crying, and endless demands. I’m keeping to realistic expectations — three wakes, sleep until six.</p><p id="2917">Wish me good luck!</p><div id="4bdb" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/will-i-ever-sleep-again-ac115f69804b"> <div> <div> <h2>The Question New Moms Are Still Asking Years Later: Will I Ever Sleep Again?</h2> <div><h3>My kids are three and two years old, and they still constantly wake through the night</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*WW91mL_rKd4V2Xwb)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

I’m broken, and my toddler is skipping around the house!

Can we create a way for parents to share their kid’s infinite energy? That would fix so many problems! | Photo by Christian Bowen on Unsplash

My two-year-old got sick again. Winter with young kids can be brutal. Nothing too serious, just some sort of respiratory viral infection — she’s already getting better. Meanwhile, I’m completely broken and barely feel human. And I haven’t even got the bug!

It started on Sunday, although I didn’t think too much of it at the time — my husband and I even brought both our girls to the cinema to watch Wish. By the way, what a weak movie… It was lovely to finally go to the cinema after four years, and even better to go with my girls. The three-year-old loved it, and she’s already asked to go back. Score! I’m really looking forward to repeating the experience. I’m a huge fan of animation, Disney films included, and I’ll be hoping for a better movie next time.

Back to the story, the two-year-old was suspiciously quiet during the whole film. That should’ve been a warning sign. That and the fact that she woke up at 6 am on Sunday — a very uncommon lie-in from her. By late Sunday, she had developed a bit of a fever. It was my husband’s night to sleep with her, though, so I got a decent night. Not so great for him, though. But not too bad, either. She only woke up a few times and slept until 5 am, which isn’t exactly a lie-in, but it’s not too bad.

Don’t worry, I got to have my share of sick-kid-night, too, and it was one of those nights. You know… one of those tough episodes biology completely erases from mom’s memories because it’s just too much to deal with. Human minds aren’t equipped to deal with all-nighters with a sick kid.

On Monday, the poor little girl woke up feeling terrible. I didn’t medicate her, but she had a low-grade fever again and slept a lot during the morning and again for a little bit in the afternoon. She didn’t eat her lunch and barely touched her dinner. How many signs does a mom need to realise a nightmare night is on the way?

Well, to be honest, ignorance is bliss. I didn’t know what I was in for, so I didn’t suffer or panic beforehand. I venture to say that was a small blessing.

The two-year-old was feeling a bit better by Monday evening, so I thought she was on the mend. Ah, so naive… Monday night was an absolute nightmare, but the sickness seemed to be completely gone on Tuesday!

She fell asleep easily on Monday evening but couldn’t stay asleep. Her breathing was laboured (not enough to be a worry, but enough to keep waking her up), she kept on coughing, and she was altogether uncomfortable. Even snuggles didn’t help her sleep. So, of course, I didn’t sleep either. I felt very sorry for her, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I felt very sorry for myself, too. One hour with a sick toddler in the middle of the night feels so much longer than a whole week. It never ends. At half past two in the morning, she developed a slight fever, so I decided to finally medicate her, hoping that we could both get some sleep. And we did, for half an hour. Then she was up for the day at 3:30 am. I still kept her in the bedroom for a little while, trying to get her to sleep again; after all, I knew she didn’t sleep enough. No luck, though. She was having none of it.

You know, I like to think I’m a good mom. One of those modern parents who use love and support at all times. I try my best to listen to my kids, understand their point of view and use my adult brain to deal with the situations we come across in a mature and level-headed way. Let’s just say that at 4 am, with barely 30 minutes of sleep, I hadn’t much kindness left in me. I managed not to cry or shout, but it was hard work. I knew I couldn’t deal with her, so I woke up my husband, even though it was his “night off”. I needed him to watch her; I desperately needed some sleep.

There’s nothing like having a partner in life. Not only a husband by title or a father by DNA, but an actual partner that shares responsibilities, chores, and everything else life brings our way. I don’t know how I would cope if my husband weren’t such a great partner, always so involved with the kids and supportive of me. I couldn’t have gotten up with my two-year-old; I had no energy, and I felt drunk with tiredness and incapable of coherent thinking. My husband took the toddler downstairs, and I slept for three blissful hours.

Meanwhile, after some warm soya milk, the toddler decided she needed extra sleep, too. She slept for another two hours, and so did my husband. At least, until the three-year-old woke up.

I wouldn’t say that was enough sleep for either me or the toddler, but she vehemently disagrees. She’s been dancing and jumping around the house all day long — as if she’s not only feeling better from her cold but also has extra energy to spend. Where she could possibly have got all that energy from is a mystery! If only she could share some of it… I feel depleted. I can’t wait for bedtime tonight — I’ll go to bed as soon as the girls are asleep.

Here is hoping that tonight the three-year-old will let me sleep without too many interruptions. After all, the parent who has the “night off” is in charge of the three-year-old, and that can mean anything from sleeping through the night (winning the lotto would be easier for sure!) to several wakes, bouts of crying, and endless demands. I’m keeping to realistic expectations — three wakes, sleep until six.

Wish me good luck!