Remember when I wrote about the instinctual allelomimetic behavior in herd animals? It’s basically a copycat behavior that social animals perform–they see their neighbor do it and think it’s a worthy idea. Apparently children can be categorized into “herd animals.”
The girls and I hadn’t really been doing anything strenuous as we are all still weakened by a series of merciless sicknesses. When the sniveling began, I tried my best to be pleasant and ignore the incessant, inconsolable whining.
Lunch time rolled around so I put on a pot of water for some mac ‘n’ cheese. Apparently seven minutes is an eternity to toddlers.
Claire was the first to go down. One minute she was whimpering while playing with her shoe, the next she was out. Evelyn took one look at her and sunk slowly to the carpet too, twirling her hair as she went.
I didn’t have the heart to wake them up when the timer buzzed and their lunch was ready. I took advantage of the quiet and did a few more chores while they lightly snoozed.
Hoping to prolong their slumber, I covered them with their blankets. It woke Evelyn up long enough to rub her eyes, declare she wasn’t hungry and drop down closer to her sister.
In total, the nap only lasted about fifteen minutes but it did wonders for their demeanor. And mine. Here’s hoping happiness endures!
