A garbage truck, a doorbell, a lawnmower, a tornado siren, and a leaf blower…..
These 5 items top my list this Tuesday….AND…..all have one thing in common.
You see, these lovely devices all make noise. Don’t get me wrong, noise is good. I like noise. I typically welcome noise, whether it is a song playing on the radio, laughter filling a room, or the clamor of voices cheering on my favorite sports team.
But, when it comes to my child’s nap time, I detest noise….absolutely loathe it. I shudder at the sound of anything that makes the slightest bit of noise. Never did I think it would come to this point, but there have been times, many in fact, where the thought of opening up my window and screaming profanities at these 5 things have crossed my mind. I almost convince myself that doing this will make them stop and the noise will magically cease.
If they only understood the detriment caused by waking up my sleeping child. The wrath of a crabby mom could quite possibly linger for the remainder of the day….until her husband walks in the door from work. Poor guy. He just doesn’t understand the ramifications of that interrupted nap.
So, what’s the big deal about these things? Let me explain…
1. Garbage Trucks
Although they do not make an appearance every day, when they do grace us with their presence, I’m not a happy camper. Yes, they serve an important purpose…I get it. But, why….WHY…do they have to do their job right smack dab in the middle of nap time. It’s like clockwork. Rock the baby in your arms. Baby stops crying and calms down. Baby is gently placed in crib. You carefully shut the door to baby’s room. Walk downstairs ever so quietly. Then it happens. Garbage truck arrives and baby wakes up. The worst part is that it’s never a quick process. It’s stop and go. stop and go. stop AND GO. The lovely garbage trucks stop at each and every driveway….creating a constant Beep, Beep….THUMP!
Ugh. Go away, garbage track.
Don’t you know my child is trying to nap?
2. Doorbell
JUST as your little peanut drifts off to dreamland, you hear it.
Knock, Knock, Knock….DING DONG!
The urgency behind this noise makes you think it’s someone important .
So, you hastily rush downstairs, baby in tow, and get ready to open the front door….only to see the UPS man running back to his truck. If I didn’t have to sign for it, and you weren’t going to wait for me to answer the door…..then why….oh WHY….knock loudly and ring the dang doorbell? Yes, I realize that you want to notify me that a package has been delivered. But…
Don’t you know my child is trying to nap?
3. Lawnmower
Am I thankful that I don’t have to personally mow my lawn during the summer, and instead have people who take care of this task for us? Yes. (good ole homeowners association). Does it make the sound of a lawn mower more tolerable? Nope. Especially not at nap time. I understand that noise is inevitable. I’m not saying that I want my house to be silent. But silence would be appreciated during the times when my child is sleeping. That’s not a lot to ask for, right? Can’t a mom catch a break? Yes, I wish more than anything that the rumbling roar of the lawnmower would lull my baby to sleep, acting as a real life sound machine. But, it doesn’t work that way. Instead, this little grass eating monster does the opposite. It jolts my son out of a peaceful slumber making him wail louder than the lawnmower itself.
To be honest….I’m not sure which is worse. I mean….
Don’t you know my child is trying to nap?
4. Tornado Siren
Okay, Okay….I know you think I’m stretching it with this one. I understand…..this practice siren only sounds once a month. The first Tuesday of every month, to be exact. But….it has the longest duration out of them all. It squashes any chance that my child will be able to fall back asleep during his nap. Once he wakes up, he’s up….thanks in part to the lovely tornado siren. Come on…
Don’t you know my child is trying to nap?
5. Leaf Blower
As you can tell, it doesn’t matter what season it is. Fall, Winter, Spring, or Summer….there is always some kind of noise that interrupts nap time. Enter the leaf blower. This guy is a real treat….mainly because he is accompanied by many friends. He doesn’t work alone. You hear him, and soon, the others join in. It’s like a symphony of leaf blowers…one trying to outdo the other. Can’t these poor leaves have some time to chill and relax? Is it a must that they are swept away in such a hurry…. RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE WINDOW? Adios nap. Goodbye sanity. Sigh….
Don’t you know my child is trying to nap?
The fact of the matter is….as a mom, you pine for the little parcel of time when your child is sleeping, silent and still, to actually get something accomplished. It might be that load of laundry that has been sitting in the washer for three consecutive days. It might be a chance to eat a meal without feeling like you have to inhale it in one forkful. It might be that you have a chance to change out of your pajamas and into “regular” clothes for the day. You come to depend on that small window of time when your kid takes a nap. You’ve never truly known the meaning of sleep deprivation until you become a parent.
AND….once your little angel has dozed off, WITHOUT any noise interfering……
You tiptoe toward the door. You cringe and curse under your breath as you accidentally walk into the dresser at the corner of the pitch black room. You slowly shut the door, muscles tensing up, making sure it doesn’t make any kind of creaking sound. You get to your room…. crawl into bed….rest your head on the pillow….and wake up to do it all over again…with an unparalleled sense of victory, knowing you made it through another exhausting day!
