...

I'm sitting here, basking in the wild silence in my home, surrounded by things that need looking after and knowing that I am the one to do it, yet I sit.

My young son fought his nap today like a champ - he cried and pleaded and at one point he almost defeated his tired and silence-starved mother. It wasn't pretty, but it ended well with assurances of love from me. Sleep is so important and precious to people like us, people who have difficulty stopping themselves once they're going. I can see it in him and I, as mother, can take steps to ensure he gets the rest his mind and body need to recover and start again. What baffles me is my own inability to do the same for myself, to be my own mother and make the wild child inside take a break... so much to do and say and think. Only my youngest truly gets it - when she is tired or overwhelmed she just closes her eyes and sleeps, stirring only when something needs attending to - eating, diapering and socialising - otherwise she sleeps, or sits calmly and takes the world in. Oh, to have such peace.