A couple of years ago, 3 to be exact, we received this email:
“I have many pictures of my child in Gs, but this one was so classic I mailed
it to the only address I could find for you guys – I figure you can pass it
on if you find it as funny as I did.
Perhaps Gs have a soporific effect?
Best Wishes.
Alicia”
And here was the picture.
Turns out, the nap-where-they-lay thing was frequent enough for Alicia to blog about it, culminating in her awesomely hilarious blog, Naps Happen. Naps Happen has been named one of the Top 25 Funny Mom Blogs two years in a row. Thank you to Alicia for taking time away from snapping napping to guest blog here.
Doing what’s different: It’s just parenting.
Believe me when I say that having my kids nap face down on an ottoman was
not in my plans.
Just like you, I read all the parenting books. I planned the perfect
upbringing for my boys. I made baby food from scratch. But somewhere, along
the way, sandwiched between a wailing infant and an angry toddler, I said,
“WHATEVER.” So it is that I began what I like to think of as “organic”
napping practices. Since that time, the unbelievable (to some) pictures of
my napping children have amused thousands of people and have attracted
photos of similarly flexible sleepers from all over the place.
And you know what? My relationship with my own kids is better for it.
Occasionally, a commenter on my blog will suggest that there must be
something wrong with me, because they’ve never seen a child fall asleep
like that. There are lots of responses I could make to these folks, but my
first one is this: Please try to be more imaginative.
We take all kinds of things on faith in this life. Most of us feel, in some
way, that perfectly valid phenomena exist even when we have not served as
direct witnesses. We take pride in the fact that we live in a society that
embraces diversity and we try to live in harmony with those who choose
lifestyles different from our own.
So why is it that, in the world of parenting, we seem to feel everyone must
find one correct mold and squeeze into it? I can imagine what it must be
like to have kids who sleep nicely in a bed at the same time each day, even
though I have not seen it happen. By the same token, I wish other people
could stretch their imaginations to encompass children who crash out as
they please, sleep soundly, and wake up later to ask for a snack, like
nothing unusual happened.
What if we all successfully imagined the unlimited number of family
configurations, traditions, and strategies that result in healthy kids and
sane parents? How much better would we all feel if we spent less time
trying to root out what was “wrong” in parenting today and, instead, looked
at how much we are all doing right? I know I, for one, would feel a lot
better about myself and about the hard work I’ve done as a mom…even if I
never did succeed at a typical napping schedule.
If only we could have more imagination, I think we would feel more of the
magic, don’t you think? Because it’s a little bit magic to me when one of
my children sleeps soundly, untroubled by the cares that plague adults, in
the very spot he chose for himself on the deck or the kitchen floor.
Magic, I tell you. I’ve seen it for myself.
-Alicia
Alicia Steffann is the gDiapering mom behind the outrageous blog,
Naps Happen, which features a massive collection of photos of kids who
have fallen asleep in unbelievable places, including over a hundred
pictures submitted by fans.
Since starting Naps Happen in 2010, her sleepy escapades have been featured
online in Parade, The Huffington Post, NBC Today Moms, Hollywood
Life by Bonnie Fuller, Nickmom, and the blogs at Babble, Parentables and
Babycenter. She was also voted a *Circle of Moms* Top 25 Funny Mom
blogger in both 2011 and 2012. When she’s not blogging, she is teaching
college writing and wrangling her two small and soporifically talented
boys. She lives in the D.C. area.
If my kids would nap, I’d let them do it on their heads in the middle of the day with spaghetti in their ears. I’m all for individuality.
I love how you were so willing to shift your perspective. That’s not easy, especially if you always thought parenting was supposed to be one way and it turns out to be another. I love this piece!
Well said! A sleeping child is a sleeping child. And unless he falls asleep in the middle of the street, I say let that kid sleep! Because there will come a time in his life when he tosses and turns as an adult and wonders what happened to the days when he used to be able to fall asleep on the dog.
[...] This week, however, I get to be like…you know…a REAL BLOGGER. [...]
Great post Alicia! The kids in your pictures definitely looked relaxed. I wish I could do that at work.
You know, I actually have a few pics on the blog that remind me of the office – asleep under my desk or on top of a toy computer. It starts early! Thanks for stopping by and reading!
Adorable photos!! My 17 month old son still has issues falling (and staying) asleep…but he’s great in every other aspect
I loved reading this! Thank you for sharing some hilarious photos!