Josiah has never been much of a sleeper. He has such an excess amount of energy. he’s like the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps on going and going and going. Actually, we have a few kids in this house who require minimal sleep. We’ve been kind of used to long nights and early mornings for a while now. But Josiah is a different breed. Long nights and early mornings for him, especially recently, mean he’s good to go with about 3-4 hours a night.

Unfortunately,. 3-4 hours for me would be a nap, not a full night’s sleep. I can’t for the life of me figure out how this kid can function on such little sleep. If he was a college student cramming for finals, it would be great. If he was a shift worker doubling up and taking on extra hours, still good.  But he’s a 9 year old child. And he’s not even remotely close to being independent.

When Josiah is awake, we need to be awake with him. We need to make sure he’s safe and IN the house. We need to make sure he’s not rooting through the refrigerator or putting dog leashes in the washing machine. We need to do whatever it takes to try to get this boy to sleep. I drove around for close to an hour the other night hoping the motion of the van would lull Josiah to sleep. It was 11:30 pm when we pulled back into the driveway. Worked for me. I was really tired. Josiah however was not. That night he didn’t fall asleep til nearly 2:30 in the morning.

When my alarm went off the next morning at 5:45, Josiah was in my bed, sandwiched in the middle between my husband and me. That means he woke up sometime after 2:30 and before 5:45 to walk down the stairs and climb into our bed. How long was he awake at that point? I have no idea. Rick and I were both exhausted and completely out of it. I don’t even remember Josiah coming in the room. For all we know he could have been playing with the dog in the middle of the night before deciding to curl up next to us.

This all happened on Sunday. School started Monday. Josiah was not the least bit drowsy when we woke him for school. He didn’t even fall asleep at school. He was energetic all afternoon and evening. He didn’t fall asleep Monday until nearly 1:30 in the morning. Unbelievable! Especially when you learn we have been giving Josiah a natural sleep aid to help relax him so he will feel drowsy and SLEEP.  He’s  been getting it for many years. Don’t think it’s working much.

Rick just came down stairs and asked if I would like a turn with Josiah. Changing of the guards. It’s my turn to stand outside Josiah’s bedroom door. When he climbs down out of his bunk bed, I’ll quietly guide him back without speaking a word or giving him any attention. We will play out the same scenario many, many times. Wish me well.

I’ll probably be asleep hours before Josiah ever even closes his eyes.