Meredith Carson... Across the Pond and Back Again...

I  have complained in the past about the fact that three out of five people at my house don't seem to require as much sleep as ordinary humans.  I am not one of those people.  (I also have one eight year old daughter who is normal with regard to her sleep needs.)  Here is the biggest dilemma:  In addition to requiring 7-8 hours of sleep each night, I am also an introvert.  Of course this does not mean that I hate people or that I am terribly socially awkward, but it does mean that I need time alone to recharge my batteries.  So help me out here.  How am I supposed to get time to myself when all of these people are always awake and chattering? My husband can and does often entertain himself late into the night.  My ten year old can also be persuaded to go to her own room and read, write, or draw, but my two year old is a real problem.  A wide awake two year old should not be left unsupervised even if Mama needs her 'alone time'.  ...

It goes without saying that I love my children and my husband.  I love sticky kisses and outstretched arms.  I love nursery songs sung by little, frolicsome voices and imaginary play with animal noises.  I love dancing and joke-telling and hearing about every one's day.   I love all of these things, but... I also really love silence and solitude. Silence and solitude are not easy things to come by in a house full of children.  The need for these sneaked up on me recently.  It manifested itself through impatient replies, short tempered reactions, and feelings of angst when children plopped their needy little bodies onto my lap. Over the weekend when everyone had settled in to watch a movie together, I slunk away to waste my time looking at crock pot recipes and other nonsense on the Internet for an hour.  I stared at my computer's screen with glazed eyes and allowed the silence in the room to saturate me.  I sat in my chair and conten...