The sound of silence

Yesterday I took Clara to the doctor for her 5-year well child check (is she really almost five years old??). I wasn't sure how much of the visit she remembered, since she was largely preoccupied with her increasing anxiety about whether she'd be able to get a flu shot or the much beloved flu mist. (Answer: I opted for the flu shot this year on the off chance the live virus might somehow infect Cole. She was most displeased.)

Anyway, at one point the doctor asked me whether Clara took a nap. I scoffed. "Neither of them do," I said, gesturing in mild disgust at my two older children. She said, "Well, that's a horrible thing! You would all feel better with a bit of rest every day."

Tell me about it, sister.

Before I go on, I should say that until this summer we actually were pretty regular with an hour of "quiet time" every day. This was a most beneficial exercise--for me if no one else. But between our seven week stay in Utah, family reunions, moving to Missouri, enduring excessive heat (and excessive pregnancy), and having a new baby, "quiet time" kind of fell to the wayside.

This is no longer true.

Since Clara has immense respect for teachers, doctors, and basically any authority figure with the notable exception of her parents, I thought I'd casually bring up the doctor's recommendation for a rest time every day. So today, I picked her up from preschool, we came home and had lunch, and then I told them they'd be spending the next hour having pleasant repose in their room, including a half-hour of time spent doing nothing but lying in bed reading books! (Seriously, what is wrong with children?!?? I can't think of anything that would be more wonderful than 30 minutes of lying in bed reading a book!)

And guess what? My suggestion was met with absolutely zero resistance! So for the last hour, they have been quietly playing in their rooms, looking at books, etc., with nary a scream, hit, or yell. Such a blessed event.

I called Jeremy to tell him about it, and I expressed my concern that it might never happen again so easily. His response: "But it happened today."

Yes. Yes it did.