I’ve heard it so many times. Well-meaning Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and even childless folks doling out advice about living with kids. The advice is usually provided without my asking…it’s given out like sample food at Sam’s on a Saturday morning. Tasty little morsels that do nothing more than whet your appetite. Some of it is reasonable, some not. There is one piece of advice that I want to take umbrage with though:

Sleep when the baby sleeps

My Mom’s said it. My Dad used to say it. My sister has said it. Close friends have shared this gem. Neighbors have gotten in the act. People at Church. Even strangers have offered this advice.

Well, I’m calling bullsh*t!

At this very moment I’m taking advantage of one of Hectic Grandson’s naps. Sure, it’s only 8:24 in the morning, but he’s been up for two-and-a-half hours and now his little body decided it was time to go back to sleep for a while. During the first waking period we changed his diaper (he’s not much help, but he’s getting to be less of a hindrance in that arena), he ate some breakfast, we played catch, he wandered about the house with me in tow trying to find something (I’ll never know what it was, since we never found it). For 150 minutes, pretty much everything I did was centered around him.

When he zonked out, I didn’t lay down with him. Oh, don’t get me wrong…I would have loved to lay down and go to sleep. But there were things to do:

• Make breakfast for everybody else
• Make my coffee
• Shower
• Dress
• Move a load of laundry from the washer to dryer
• Start another load of laundry
• Start that load of pots and pans soaking again today (maybe they’ll get washed this round)
• Pickup the Legos strewn across the floor in my office
• Pickup the cars flung about in the Great Room
• Take out the food for tonight’s dinner so it’s defrosted
• Take out three bags of trash
• Fold the baskets of laundry from yesterday
• Clear and wash the breakfast table
• Feed the cat
• Plan the rest of my day

And that was all in 24 minutes! If you think I was moving fast, you’re right. You see, I never know how long his naps will be. I don’t know if he’ll wake up the Happy Little Cherub that everyone adores, or the Red-Faced Terror screaming at the top of his lungs. Could be either one, and he could wake up in the next five minutes. Or sleep for another three hours. There’s no way to tell, so I’ve got to get stuff done while I can.

I know that I should be more productive when he’s awake. He follows his Grandma around while she does work in the house and helps out. He plays quietly while his Mom does her graduate school work on the computer. He watches videos with his youngest aunt and watches video games with his youngest uncle. He seems happy to do all those things, and doesn’t seem to demand a lot of attention. But during the day, when it’s just the two of us, he wants my undivided attention.

• Let’s play catch.
• Can we eat?
• The Legos need us to play with them.
• What food have you got?
• Lining up cars and vrooming them around sound good.
• I’m hungry.
• Can we read a book?
• And another book?
• And another?
• Is it time to eat?
• Is Sesame Street on?
• Can I play on the iPad?
• What meal should we call this one?
• Whatcha doing?
• Need help unfolding that newly folded laundry?
• I’m hungry, any food in your pockets?

It’s a cycle that we repeat over and over. And yes, to answer the obvious question, he eats all the time. Pretty much anything. Not huge amounts, but lots and lots of food. I have the diapers to prove it (if you need that kind of proof).

But the important part is, when he’s awake there’s precious little that I can be assured of accomplishing. Sure, we get some things done. He’s an expert at unfolding the clothing that I’ve just folded after we carried them from he dryer. He will sweep the carpet for 30 minutes at a pop if I’ll let him. He loves washing dishes, pots, pans, or anything (of course, we then have to mop the entire kitchen!).

In short, he’s a toddler. My precious little man that I love to have around. But he’s a toddler who demands my attention all the time. Attention that I’m happy to give, but attention that takes me from the other tasks that I think I should be doing. Like blogging. Like building my business.

So there you go, a post written in 15 minutes that summarizes a bit of my day. Just press repeat when you get done and read it again. That’s my day, a repeated series of short-run activities with a 19 month-old that I wouldn’t trade for the world…but activities that eat up my time, leave the house a disaster, and help me fall in bed at night knowing that I’ve had the best day possible.

Really, these are the most amazing days…they just don’t really lend themselves to structure. But that’s OK, this time will only happen once.

Oops, gotta run, somebody is stirring in the other room!