One of my favorite pictures of me and Mom was taken when I was about 6 or 7 weeks old. We’re snuggled in bed together with a light, white sheet drawn up on us. Mom is lying on her right side with her arm tucked under her head. With her left arm, she’s cradling me. We have on lacy white shift gowns. We’re both asleep, but the room is full of light. Dad says we spent a lot of time together like that. Since my siblings were all in school during the day, I imagine Mom and I snuggled and napped together a lot.
Naps were an important part of my growing up years. Mom suffered with migraines during her menopausal years and she would retreat to her bed and darkened room to wait for them to pass. Sunday afternoons were mostly spent napping or at least having quiet time in our rooms. Dad wasn’t the napper – still isn’t – but Mom and I can nap with the best of them.
Napping was one of the things I was sure to teach my children – Sunday afternoons are for snuggling in with a book or a pillow! As a church and theater musician, I can’t always adhere to it, but I still try. My family and friends know that I’m probably sleeping at 3:00 on a Sunday. Call after 5:00 instead.
Now that Mom spends so much time in her chair, she naps often. She doesn’t get much exercise, but she’s still tired most of the time. If she’s resting when I come in, I’ll sometimes snuggle in the chair beside her and nap until she wakes up. Many times she’ll reach over for my hand and we’ll hold hands for a bit. It’s not quite the same as snuggling but I still like it.
She likes to be tucked in. Me, too. When I tuck her in, she sometimes giggles like a little girl and thanks me profusely. She likes her favorite blanket to wrap around her and be tucked around and under her legs and arms all the way up to her chin. If the blanket slides off her shoulder, she’ll complain she’s freezing to death. I think she just likes to be cozy and I understand.
I like to watch Mom while she naps. She’s quite peaceful and will often smile. I remember watching my own children nap when they were little. I wonder if we have come full circle on this one, too. Did she watch me nap when I was a baby? I’m certain she did, doting mother that she was. I think that is a universal reaction to a sleeping baby.
She’s been laughing at me as I write. Usually she is oblivious to my typing on the computer, but she’s noticed today and is asking about what I am writing. I tell her I am writing about how we liked to nap. She laughs and said that it’s true! Usually she’ll nap after lunch on the days we are together, but she slept so well last night, she’s very alert. I read some of this to her and we discuss proper pillow and sheet placement for naps. She heralds the merit of her perfect blanket and suggests that I get one, too.
I cherish these fun moments when Mom’s sweet personality comes through and we connect the past and the present.
