I have always been a night person.
I remember when I was 7 or 8. A teacher friend of my mom's called around 10 p.m., and I answered the phone. She proceeded to tell me how I should've been in bed an hour ago and why in the world did my mother let me stay up so late. I don't think my mom appreciated it very much.
I also remember being in 6th grade and remembering the night before that I had a social studies project due the next day. I was one of those kids that never told my parents about projects, and they never asked because I always got good grades. But that particular night, around midnight, my mom comes walking down the hall to see why my light is still on. Let's just say she wasn't pleased. Her punishment for me? I had to stay up until it was finished, and I would have to suffer the consequences of sleep deprivation.
It didn't quite have the effect she was going for.
The truth was yes, I stayed up late. But not because my mom didn't try to get me to go to bed early. It was because I couldn't just hop into bed and shut off my mind. The other truth was no amount of sleep was going to make me a morning person. I'm still not a morning person.
But my nights have changed over the years.
In college and before marriage, I would stay up all night organizing closets or cleaning out cabinets or painting furniture or working on scrapbooks or some other project, because my most creative moments seemed to occur amidst the reruns and infomercials. I loved going to bed, whether it be at midnight or 5 a.m., with a sense of accomplishment.
When I met Kevin, all that changed. He is the polar opposite of a night owl. When we were dating, our nights usually consisted of him coming over after football practice, eating dinner, and falling asleep on the couch at 8 p.m. After all, he was at work by 5 a.m. most mornings. Needless to say, married life was a little bit of an adjustment in the beginning. But as time went on, I came to appreciate the early bedtime snuggle.
After our kids came along, nights changed again. Kids tend to require structure. So each night revolves around dinner, baths, and quality cuddle/wrestle/cartoon time. We try our best to have our kids in bed by 8:00. After that I'm able to finish all those little tasks around the house that are impossible with kids running around. You know, like have a conversation with another adult. Or watch a TV show from beginning to end and actually hear it. Or blog.
Some things haven't changed though. I still get a burst of energy most nights around 10 p.m., regardless of how tired I was earlier in the day. I still have trouble shutting off my mind and going to sleep, even though I know 6 a.m. comes really, really early (and even though I also know that Annabelle will probably wake me before then). And I still am not a morning person.
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