Saturday Morning

January 2011

Toussaint, 8

Tia, 5-1/2 years old

Last night, as I do every Friday and Saturday night, I reminded Toussaint not to explode out of bed at the crack of dawn. "There's nothing happening at 6am. So, roll over and go back to sleep." We've been through the Saturday morning rules so many times, he does know them. And he actually tries with everything in his power to follow them. He just CAN'T. The rules contain safeguards intended to keep him in bed. Because you know, the same kids who have to be dragged from bed at 7am on school days will fly from bed at 6am on Saturday.

So,

Rule #1 -- No TV. (If that were allowed, he'd get up at 4.)

Rule #2 -- Do not wake anyone else up except for something Mama would agree is a true emergency.

Rule #3 -- Try to go back to sleep. If you can't, read, play quietly in your room, and/or get a snack.

He really tried to follow those rules this morning. I know he thought he was following them perfectly and with precision. But, somehow, in the process of application by an 8 year old boy, rules have a way of breaking themselves despite his noblest efforts. First, everyone knows, Rule #3 doesn't count if you have a bad dream. So, sometime before 6, Toussaint wound up lying awake in my bed. While trying to go back to sleep, fidgeting, wiggling, and pressing his ear against the wall -- as people do -- he thought he heard a noise in the wall that could pose a significant threat to his family. In his mind, it was definitely an emergency, so like a good boy, he followed Rule #2 and woke me up. I whispered that I heard nothing and to go back to sleep.

Two Rules down; one to go. Here's how this one works. Trying to go back to sleep when you're 8 and it's Saturday morning means you have to fidget, wiggle, flop about, tug on covers, and accidentally push the bed away from the wall while investigating something in the crack with your developing scientific mind. It's best to have a nightmare first so you can do this in Mom's bed and inadvertently wake her up. If it doesn't seem to be working, put your ear on the wall and hear an "emergency," because once you've woken her up for that, there's no way she's falling back to sleep beside you and your energy. Chances are she'll tell you to go watch TV. If she doesn't, ask and she'll probably cave. This morning, I did not cave. Rar! Go me! So, he stayed his wiggly self in my bed. My sleep was over. But Tia was beside me and I didn't want to wake her by getting up.

Having failed to dismantle Rule #1, Toussaint redoubled his focus on Rule #2. He followed it precisely, watching closely for his chance. Several minutes later, it came. Tia rolled over in her sleep and, as she did, her head lifted slightly and her eyes opened for a second. As soon as her eyes opened, Toussaint popped up, "Hi Tia!"

Did I say "dismantle"? Actually, I realize that's not fair. Toussaint wasn't trying to "dismantle" the rules.  He was just trying to follow them - proactively.