You know how people are always trying to come up with amazing inventions? Well, I have a suggestion; how about a small alarmed device that goes off right at that point when their tiredness levels peak at that point that no parent wants them to go beyond. That would be a useful invention because let me tell you, there is nothing quite like the over tired child and if they are generally like mine, it is not a pretty sight at all.
With my three younger children, over tiredness affects each one in different ways.
R is 9. Mr Invincible. He doesn’t ever get tired or feel the need to sleep. Why would he when there are games to play, brothers to wind up and parents to chat to? When he is over tired, he will fight it until his eyelids finally give up the ghost. He almost seems to sense that sleep is coming and he talks so quickly it’s like he wants to ensure that he fits everything in before he goes. Virtually every day we have the endless discussions about what time he should go to bed and every night he is determined that he will see ten o’clock and he very rarely does as he is exhausted by eight. His main aim in life is to stay awake all night, but I have reassured him on many occasions that it really isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. When that does finally happen, you won’t find me within a three mile radius for twenty four hours as he will be LETHAL!
L is 7. Mr Aggressive. If he goes too far past his get to bed date, he is nothing short of vile. He becomes rude, shouty and generally not a pleasant sight to behold. With him, the tiredness alarm would seriously be an amazing thing indeed. Although, you can see straight away from his face when he needs to go to bed and if I’m honest, that is usually around 4 pm and I think that bedtime at that hour would really be a bit harsh?Yet a four o’clock bed time would save us from the stress, the throwing things down the stairs, the door slamming, the attacking his brother, the refusal to do anything he is told. Maybe I should change all the clocks, shove a plate of food at him when he arrives home from school and then send him directly to bed without passing go?
A is 3. Miss Baby. When A is tired, she reverts back to being a baby. And I mean a baby. She has to have ‘muzzy’ (a muslin square that she is only allowed at bed time) and muzzy is normally in her mouth and she rolls around and squawks. She is perfectly coherent the rest of the time, but over tiredness seems to make her lose all ability to speak or behave normally and the only word she utters is ‘baby’ in a very squeaky voice or sometimes she extends it to ‘baby wants …’. ‘Baby’ then has to be carried to bed, she loves to pick her story and then we have to sing ‘baby’ a lullaby before she rolls around and squawks herself to sleep.
Over tiredness definitely makes a much bigger appearance in the summer months with the warmer, lighter nights and this week we have seen it a lot; coupled with high levels of irritation due to the heat. Sadly, mummy has been over tired too this week as I haven’t been sleeping well and the combination of an over tired mum and three over tired children is enough to send daddy out to cower in fear in the garden.
Over tiredness, coming to a family near you very soon.
