Sleep Deprived Illusions by Konnie Enos

Have you ever been jarred awake by your alarm and were still so tired you couldn’t figure out why it was going off so early in the morning?

I kid you not, that’s what happened to me. I couldn’t figure out why it was going off, but for some reason checked the calendar feature. I peered at it a moment trying to decipher the significance of it. The date meant nothing. I looked at the day of the week. It finally hit me. Weekday. School. I have to wake boys up.

I woke up the youngest one, then crawled back into bed. Even though he sat up, I fully expected to have to repeat the process when my alarm went off again (I had put it on snooze). But a minute or so later I heard a child enter the bathroom.

Oh good, more sleep. It’ll be about half an hour before I have to wake his brother up.

Then about twenty or so minutes later I for some reason woke up enough to look toward the bathroom door, which I can see from my bed, and I thought it looked like it was slightly ajar, like we normally have it when no one is in there. I remembered my youngest daughter had be up when I went to get my son and now it looked, and sounded, like no one was in there. And I couldn’t remember the hearing the water run.

I checked the time and panicked as I ran back to their room thinking they’ll probably be late. Then I stop short when I see my youngest son’s bed empty.

I hurry back to the bathroom. Which is locked. I holler at him to hurry. He responds with splashing water and saying he is getting out.

I shake my still befuddled head and crawl back in bed until it’s time to wake the older boy. The younger boy exists the bathroom shortly before my alarm went off again. Time to wake the older boy. By the time I get into their room he’s back in bed. We’ve told him repeatedly not to do this, but there he is.

I tell both boys the time and to get up, again telling the younger one that he isn’t supposed to be back in bed. I go back to bed myself, cause I don’t have to be up yet but I happen to see a boy child, probably the older one, go into the bathroom a moment or two later so I assume they’re up and don’t worry about any ten minute wake up reminders.

Then my daughter tells me it’s nearly twenty after and both boys are still asleep. I tell her not to worry, I’d get them up. Then a moment or two later my alarm goes off again. This time telling me I do have to get up.

I go tell both boys the time and that they’d better be up dressed and ready to go when I come back out or I’d dump water on them then I go to my room. The older one said something and the younger one looked at me, so I know they heard me.  

After that we just basically loaded up and got out the door. Even made it to their class early, which was a bit of a miracle.

Actually, the only things unusual about this morning were my two befuddled moments and the fact I never once had to fight my boys (specifically the younger one) or get a pitcher of cold water.

Oh the joys of motherhood (especially when you have teenage boy who have to get up before the crack of dawn).

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.