Periodically my son's kindergarten teacher will pull me aside at pick-up time to inform me that Nas was a "very sleepy boy" that afternoon. Of course, being the Virgo mommy that I am, I quickly wonder how I can fix that. I also wonder what Mrs. L. might be thinking of me as Nas' mother: What, do you let the kid stay up all night? Have you no boundaries? Plug in, raise your kid! First off, if she ever has considered any of these criticisms, she is truly wise to keep them to herself. But when a mother prides herself on raising productive kids, it can grate on her nerves when an obstacle poses itself! Especially one that makes no sense!
Nas is an active little boy, and when I say active I mean he is running from the time he wakes to the time he hits that pillow at night. Speaking of which, he goes to sleep at 7:45 and wakes around 6:45. He wakes around the same time every day whether he stayed up a little later on the weekend or got the full 11 hours. On a good night I can have him in bed at 7:30, but anything earlier than that eludes me. So that comes to about 11 hours of sleep a night, which, according to WebMD is about right for the ripe ol' age of six. I've considered he may be getting too much sleep, but the kid is a monster when he's short-changed! If he's likely getting enough sleep, what is the problem?
Food. I've been thinking of keeping a food journal for Nas on days he is home with me and on days when he packs lunch for school just to see what he might be lacking in his diet. Protein maybe? But, my first thought in this 'mystery' is that he may need an afternoon snack on school days because when at home the kid is really taking it down. Case in point, last night he ate a turkey hot dog on a bun, rice, and a salad. Not long after dinner (6pm or so) he asked for and ate oatmeal. And after a shower and getting ready for bed, the kid ate a slice of pizza. Random? For sure, but when he goes on these "cluster feedings" I just FEED the kid! I say cluster feedings because he did a lot of that as a newborn, I would feed him and maybe an hour later I was feeding him again. Exhausting.
I don't know what is going on with my little boy and these afternoons of fatigue, but it would be nice if he could handle two full days and a half of kindergarten without issue. When I told Jay about Nas's issue at school she replied, "Everyone is tired after lunch, Mommy!" Which I get, heck, come 2:00 I find myself in need of a nap! But something's got to give - first grade, all day every day, is just around the corner! One can hope he'll just grow out of it....right?
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