Sleepless, Again

Today, a parenting thought that many can probably relate to, although I hope not!

Bleary eyed after a rather exhausting night, this morning I grabbed my Bible and took a puzzled look at Psalm 3, verse 5 this morning. “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.” Hmmm. I need to meditate on this verse a bit. See what is in here, as I feel like I am missing a point, maybe THE point.

OK, Lord, I understand the “wake again” part well enough. Last night ranked in the bottom third of my “restful evenings” rankings. Every two hours, nearly to the minute, we were awakened by our youngest. Usually he would cry out, and by the sounds he emitted we knew he was not merely stirring, he was awake. One of us would slide out of bed, go into his room and, sure enough, find him sitting up crying at the walls.

Throughout the night we found ourselves drifting off, only to be roused from any semblance of slumber by this poor boy’s tossing and turning.

“Ignore him we cannot,” as Yoda might put it. “Demands attention he does.”

Now, we’re experienced parents. We do have five other children who have passed through this type of sleepless phase in life. And so, we have put our hard-earned knowledge to work on this matter.

We’ve tried variations in his food intake prior to bedtime. This or that medication, or none at all (we’re told melatonin can help, but it has no appreciable effect upon the nighttime experience). Have him active before bedtime, trying to wear him out. Have him calm before bedtime. All of the routines have been considered, scrutinized, changed, noted. We’ve tried it all, hoping for a difference, only to be awakened throughout the night. Every night this week. We are feeling old…yikes, we are tired!

And so the questions keep coming up. What is keeping him from good sleep?

What is awakening him from much needed nighttime rest?

Why can’t Little Man go to bed and stay there?

What are we doing wrong? What can we do differently to help him sleep? To help US sleep?

Why don’t you listen, God, to our prayers for rest?

It is apparent that there are no answers right now, only this little boy whom we love dearly. And we do. He is not the enemy. We’ve got to shepherd him through this season, and try to get him to a point of through-the-night sleep and rest. In the meantime, we wait.

We’ll learn the key, sometime soon, I hope. Or perhaps he will simply start sleeping well again on his own. Until then, sustain me, Oh Lord. Thinking back to that psalm, I am not sure You and I agree about what “sustain” means, but help me accept YOUR definition. For now, please sustain me.

Maybe you can relate to some of what I’ve written today? Take heart. We’ve been here before, and you CAN make it, in God’s grace and goodness.

Friday Five: Australia

Five things I didn’t know about Australia until I visited there last week:

  1. Australia has the land mass of the U.S. It is the flattest continent, with the oldest and least fertile soils, and is the driest inhabited continent. More than 60% of Australia’s 22 million citizens live on the eastern coastline.
  2. There are two types of crocodiles in the country. Both will eat you, if given a chance (according to my sources, the saltwater croc is especially dangerous).
  3. The Tjapukai people have a rich oral tradition.
  4. The macadamia is the only major commercial food crop that is native to Australia. It used to be called the “Queensland nut.”
  5. Australians love sports. Out in public places, there always seems to be a television on showing an Australian Football game or rugby match — or even a NASCAR race.

Lovely place, spectacular scenery, and great people. That’s how I’d describe – in a sentence – my experience in Australia.

Flags At Half-Staff

I did not know this, nor did many of my co-workers. Here’s why flags are flying at half-staff today.

Quick Draw Make-Up Artist

Here’s a link to an interview of the first runner-up in this year’s Miss USA pageant.  On May 11 and 12 Dr. Dobson talks with Carrie Prejean, along with her mother Francine Coppolla, in a compelling conversation about convictions and courage.

The producer of the program, a father of several young children, provided this rather humorous behind-the-scenes story:

On the day of this broadcast taping, I awoke to my 3-year-old boy in a foul mood.  He actually scratched my forehead as I was trying to help him go potty.  I didn’t think much of it until I looked in the mirror before leaving for Focus.  Agh!  It looked like someone drew on my forehead with a red marker.

After explaining my morning incident to several co-workers, it was time for the studio taping.  When I met Carrie and her mother outside of Dr. Dobson’s office, I felt I should explain the “red marker” on my head.  Carrie whipped out her make-up pen of some sort and dabbed it over the scratch, blending it in with my natural, bald-headed pigmentation.  (She’s a professional at make-up, right?)  I looked in the mirror and was amazed.  Now I know why women use this stuff so much!

I don’t think I’ll get into the habit of wearing make-up to cover injuries…or for any other reason!  But who know a beauty pageant contestant’s skills could come in so handy?

Well, I wouldn’t have guessed it either, but am glad that our producer found such a quick fix for his cosmetic injury. Kudos to Miss Prejean!

“Moms At The Top”

Now there’s a new phrase, and it has to do with notions of success in the workplace – and implied in this article – at home, as well. I wonder, though, why a mom who stays at home without leaving workplace success can’t wear that moniker, too?

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, let me offer an encouraging word to every mom. While you MATTs deserve every kudo you’ve earned, there are many mothers (like my wife) who sometimes feel they’ve not done much in life. They’ve spent their years managing schedules and mitigating fights and addressing their children’s character without much public fanfare. So, here’s to the mom who does a super job raising children, who stayed at home since having her kids, who didn’t leave a lucrative title. In my thinking, you ought to wear that “Mom At The Top” label of your own – and do so proudly!

Influencing Kids In Foster Care

I was in the audience for this riveting and compelling message from Pastor Bob Coy about how God moved his church to reach out to needy kids in the county’s foster care system. Wow!

Prayers For America

Take a few minutes to pray for the United States, won’t you? Even if you don’t live here, we’ll appreciate your petitions for God to look with grace and favor upon this land and our people.

If you need some gentle guidance, or would prefer to pray along with someone else, here are some touching, brief recorded prayers offered by our wonderful listeners. These are really touching!

Healing From “Father Wounds”

Josh McDowell is a gifted speaker and writer, and he first influenced me back in my college days when I heard Josh talk about “evidence that demands a verdict.”

Not until recently did I become aware of his terribly difficult childhood, and the intense emotions – anger and hatred, really – Josh had toward his dad for most of his life. What a story of divine intervention, though, Josh had to tell when he joined us in the studio a while back.

If you’ve been hurt by your own father, take the time to listen in to this powerful broadcast series.

Time With My Bride

if you are a regular reader of this blog you might wonder why so few posts these days? Well, I didn’t want to publicize it, but I’ve actually taken some vacation time to get away with my wife. For that time, I decided that blogging would be secondary to my marriage – good call to make, don’t you think? We enjoyed many moments of conversation and solitude. For that – and for her! – I am grateful to God.

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