My Favorite Time of Day

You are going to think this is pretty typical, especially for the mother of a 3 year old boy, but it is for different reasons than you may think.

My favorite time of day is 8 pm. Bedtime.

Not just because I FINALLY get mommy time (My son hates napping now). Not because I’m sick of hearing kid shows or talking toys, or songs, or his adorable attempts to read me a story. Not because for the last hour of the day I have to read the same story a thousand times. Not because he’s tired and cranky. I can’t really explain why.

It’s a feeling. The calm end to a long day. My son basically puts himself to bed, and there is rarely an argument. He crawls into bed, I tuck him in, give him little kisses, and before I can even say it, he says, “I yuv you, mommy. Night night.”

It is that moment each day that I am reminded that he does love me. That someday he may appreciate me cooking his food, washing his clothes, and picking up his toys. It is that moment that I know that, while he is a nervous, anxious kid sometimes, he feels safe and secure in his bed with his familiar frog sheets and froggy comforter. I know that he is happy, despite the tantrums that may have happened during the day.

In the next moments, I hear him singing to himself or talking to his stuffed mouse named Mousey. I hear him repeat, from his bed, things he learned that day.

The oven is hot.

Doggies are not scary.

I like yellow.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 Ready nor not, here I am (words are a little mixed up there).

Mousey, soon I go bye byes to school when I poop on the potty!

 

There are a few moments after that, in the silence that envelopes the house after he falls asleep and before I turn on the tv, that everything is peaceful. No matter what stressful things are going on, no matter how worried I am about things, no matter what is going on I can always flip on the hall light and stand there quietly, watching the relaxed rise and fall of his chest. I can see his blond hair sticking out of his favorite blankie. I can see the peacefulness on his face. For a while, all is right with the world.

That’s why this is my favorite time of the day.