I've been going through some journals I kept when my three oldest were all under five. I'm not sure how I stayed awake long enough to write because in almost every entry I mention trying desperately to get some sleep.

One of my favorite entries starts: "They can't stay up forever, can they? They will go to sleep eventually, won't they?"
Another entry exults: "Ethan and Alex are both napping at the same time!"  Other mothers and parenting books advised me to nap when my children were napping. Right. That's when I cleaned house and read the paper.
How about you? If you have young children, do you feel well rested? Do your kids take naps? For parents with older kids, how did you cope during those sleep deprived months/years?

---

---