Sleeping In

I am openly envious of people who get to "sleep in." Braden rarely does, and if he does it is almost certainly on a school day. On those days, I'm lucky enough to have to drag him out of bed and initiate a title fight.

After years of not seeing eye to eye on whose turn it was to get up with the kids, my husband and I have worked out a schedule. Whatever time the day starts (or more accurately, whatever time B starts the day), I get up on weekdays and one of the two weekend mornings. A little unbalanced, yes, but I am a stay-at-home mom so I've come to agree that it's reasonable that I carry more of the load with the children.

Much of the time, however, he is working on Saturday. So he gets up early and heads to work, and I get up with the boys. Sunday is, of course, his day because he "worked all week." Which he did, and I appreciate. Sleepily.

Why include this marital hot button here? Because the root of why it's an issue is Autism. See, in the average American household children ages 8 and 11 can manage themselves in the house if Mom or Dad need a few extra hours on a Saturday morning. Isn't that why Saturday morning cartoons were created?

But not in this house. For one, B tends to wake up...um...happy. So he's generally running around the house and shrieking from the minute his feet hit the floor. He's throwing toys into the air and watching (and listening) as they crash to the floor. He's smacking walls, windows, and furniture as he runs past. And, his newest addition, he's stomping his foot with all his might. (Got sensory issues?) He's also foraging like an animal readying for winter.

And then there's the other child. He's in the middle of the chaos and at the mercy of his 10" taller, 60-pound heavier brother. No self-respecting mother would leave him in that position (at least not for more than a snooze or two).

So I've become a morning person. Well, I've become a person who is capable of rolling out of bed in the morning and pretending to function. I drink too much coffee, and I sneak a nap when I can when the boys are at school. And I try really hard to not to harbor a grudge for the number of hours my husband spends snuggled up in our bed. Especially on days when my "alarm" goes off at 3:45 AM on a Saturday.