Nap Rage

Does your kid sleep through the night?
How long do they nap?
Awake times?
Do you Ferber?
You rock your kid to sleep! Don't you know you will mess them up for life?
4 month wakeful!?!
Reverse cycling?
Dream feeds?
To cry it out or not to cry it out?

   Whether you swear by Babywise, go-with-the-flow, or  you're just trying to be a survivor, your child's sleep or lack there of has probably consumed your life at one point! It's no wonder that I experienced an ongoing bout of "Nap Rage." Never heard of it? Probably because I made the term up, but I bet that you experienced at least a tiny dose of it. Nap rage is the blinding rage you feel towards any person or thing that has disturbed your baby's sleep. The universe should know that it's suppose to stay still when you finally get your precious baby to sleep. You may be PETAs biggest supporter, but when that neighborhood dog barks and wakes your kid up, you're totally fantasizing about kicking it. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me! It's not your fault, it's NAP RAGE! It takes a person and makes them crazy. I have shook my hand at the sky, wanting to punch thunder in the face. What the heck? What sane person does that? I'll tell you who! An exhausted mom who just wanted to relax after finally getting her baby to bed. A mom suffering from the RAGE!
    I will never forget my worst case of nap rage. It had been a rough night! I FINALLY got Sydney back to sleep right around the time my husband got up for work. I was just drifting off when I heard it through the monitor. He was in the bathroom (just next to Syd's room) tapping his tooth brush against the sink to knock off any water still on it. I heard Sydney move a little and thought maybe she would fall back to sleep. No such luck, right after he left for work, she let out a wail. In my exhaustion and fury, I did something I am not proud of. I texted my husband and told him that I was going to spend all day while he was at work, coming up with a way to kill him with his tooth brush and make it look like an accident. Definitely not a Proverb 31 wife moment. He had no idea that this could be the worse or the sickness he was referring to in our wedding vows. Probably didn't picture me trying to orchestrate the til death do us part bit either! (No wonder he got a few sympathy cards and a couple of hotel business cards from a few of my relatives when we got married!)
      Tragically there is no real cure for nap rage. You just have to battle with yourself to remain calm until the nap phase is over. I recommend lots prayer and repentance, chocolate, and grandparents ;)