Blessings, beautiful souls –
My son has been waking at 4h45, everyday this week. We haven’t uncovered why. Bedtimes are changing (to narrow down the cause), but wake-up remains the same. This results in the following:
– First and foremost, a grumpy child who is overly tired and is ignoring his body’s sleep cues, which ripples into a very chaotic and frustrating day
– Unable to focus on work that needs to be done for clients due to constant monitoring of his movement on the baby screen
– The shift of my morning from being slow and settled to being one of anxiety and on edge
– The fear that his early wake will force his sister’s early wake
Yesterday, when I forced him back to bed after breakfast, he slept for over two hours, only waking when I went into his room and told him we had places to be. This, to me, is proof that his sleep needs are being ignored. We have cut out processed sugar from his diet, sunrise continues to come pretty late over here, and bedtimes are calm and appropriate to his exhaustion level, so I’m rather stumped.
Do not get me wrong: I do not wish away moments with my children, but I understand that a quiet morning – where my children get the rest they need in their beds – is beneficial to all of us. My spirit is centered, and his body is calm. He needs sleep, despite his obsessive FOMO and desire to be up with the action of the morning. There is no action in the morning! That is the point.
I try to use any pocket of time I can get with extensive gratitude to the Universe. I write about this a lot in my new book, Mothering in the Mountains: reflections on slow living, spiritual motherhood, and finding soul serenity in the French Alps. I am a better mother when I have a moment. I love the stillness of morning, being witness to the sunrise in solitude, and dedicating the first few hours of my day to Spirit. It is important to me; it is my True breakfast, and it nourishes me through the rest of the day.
I fill it with things that bring me – or the world – joy or healing. It is focused, it is intentional, and I am present and grounded through it. I am like a tree, and my roots are watered in this practice. I cannot bud and flower and provide my family with my fruits without it. It is essential.
On the days where my son demands me like a personal alarm clock, I must find these pockets elsewhere. Recently, it’s been through reading. I downloaded the Kindle App on my phone so that if I’ve left my actual Kindle somewhere in the house, I know I’ll have access. This also erases any temptation to browse the internet, read news, and the like, which generally puts me in a doom-loop and shifts me out of my peaceful center. I prefer using my physical Kindle because my son calls it my “digital book” and he knows I’m not just watching a screen instead of watching him, but when life calls, you adapt. I also subscribed to Kindle Unlimited which I feel will be life-changing for me, encouraging me to read without financial limitations or guilt (though I am of the belief that money spent on books is never money wasted).
With spring on the horizon, sun shining brighter, weather warming my bones, these disturbances to my routine (and, like my son, I am obsessed with routine) don’t shake me as intensely as they once did. I will just do my best, as I always do, to go with the flow – reminding myself that this is just a page of just one chapter and not the book. Tomorrow, he may begin a regular sleep routine again. We will figure it all out. I’ll adjust as I need.
In the meantime, I find solace in my books. What are you currently reading?
If you want to support my work further, please check out my books and journals. If you want to work with me as a spiritual healer, check out my services through Seeking Celestial Grace and Awakened Little Souls.
xx C
Post Scriptum: If this reflection resonates, you may find comfort in my book Mothering in the Mountains: reflections on slow living, spiritual motherhood, and finding soul serenity in the French Alps. It is written for those who crave quiet, presence, and a return to themselves … one gentle and curious morning at a time.
lifeofcloud 