It seems like summertime should be filled with lazy days in a hammock, relaxing at the beach or near a pool, or reading a book in the sun. Summertime should be full of rest and relaxation. You can picture it right? Napping in the hammock with the warm sun upon your face? And then a Nerf dart hits you in the head, kids start screaming and running all around you because one kid has the garden hose. Everybody’s wet and by the time you look up, they’re all playing in the sandbox with muddy sand stuck to their wet clothes. Moms know the importance of rest, and yet, there is just no rest for…a mother!
Rest is important for children too—even in the summer—especially in the summer! It’s quite difficult if you live somewhere there is not a lot of nice weather. The last thing you want to do is spend your time during that short season sleeping! But toddlers and teenagers, especially, need extra sleep during the summer. Sleep is imperative for healthy development in toddlers and teens.
Have you ever paid attention to how many children have growth spurts during the summer? Why is it almost always in the summer? I used to think it was just because you go three months without seeing your friends in the summer, so it seems like everyone comes back to school in the fall a little taller. Then, I watched my own children grow like weeds in the summer! Even their hair grows more in the summer! What is it? Are they plants? Water and sunlight is all they need?
Actually, that’s not far off. In the summertime, kids get more sunshine, which leads to more vitamin D, which then leads to better calcium absorption. Calcium aids in growth! So, this makes sense. When children are growing physically, the importance of rest is magnified because of how much their bodies need it.
With the extra sunlight, also comes more stimulation of the hypothalamus in the brain. This leads to increased cognitive development as well. So, in the summer, your children are growing physically, and their brains are developing. Sleep is vital for both of these things to take place!
Five Important Benefits of Rest
- Keeping in Step with the Spirit—
You can agree or disagree with this one, but our faith is the most important thing in our family and God teaches us to rest. When He created the world, He didn’t need to rest. God is God! He didn’t rest because He suffered from fatigue, but instead, because He knew we would need to rest. So, like a perfect parent, He set the example for us.
When we do as He asks, not only do we benefit because we need the rest in the first place, but also because it helps us to keep in step with God. There is no greater reward than that!
The rewards can also be very practical. My grandpa was a farmer. Farmers know how difficult it can be to rest on Sundays. When it has rained Monday through Friday and you’re trying to get your crops planted, it is incredibly difficult to rest on Sunday. As difficult as it was, my grandpa never worked Sundays. He had learned if you give up obedience to God to try to get your crop in, something will almost certainly go wrong. Maybe your equipment breaks down. Maybe you get sick. Many things can go wrong on Sunday that wouldn’t go wrong had you been obedient. Obedience always yields a greater reward!
The closer you are to the Lord, the more calm you can stay when your kids do things that would normally ruffle your feathers. When we are walking with the Lord, we are more grounded and less likely to fly off the handle over something small.
- Fewer Meltdowns—
This is true for both children and parents! I know what happens when I get overly tired. I get irritable, out of sorts, and it becomes difficult to manage my emotions, and even more so, my frustrations. And that’s my fully-developed brain! Imagine what it’s like for children, whose brains are still developing, to be overly tired or even just not well-rested?
When children get proper rest, they can manage their reactions better and enjoy life more. Sure, maybe you miss out on a couple of good hours of daylight with them, but what would you rather have? Five great hours with your kids or eight hours with crabby, irritable kids?
Yeah. They feel the same about you! Give yourself permission to rest!
- Fewer Mood Swings—
Again, when our brains get tired, it becomes more difficult to control our minds. Sleep helps lower the stress hormone in our bodies, so whether you feel stressed or not doesn’t really matter. If you don’t get enough sleep, you have higher levels of cortisol in your body, like it or not.
What happens when you start to get stressed? I know what happens for me! My mood becomes more intense. Little things that I can normally let go of tend to frustrate me more and I become fixated on them. Sometimes, it is not pretty! When I am well-rested, all the little bad habits my children have are just “that’s not an important battle” habits. When I am tired, EVERYTHING is an important battle and somewhere along the lines, I start thinking that if I could just nag more forcefully, those habits will be changed today! I know. “I’ll be happy to nag my children constantly over every little thing they do wrong,” said no one ever. I know.
- Your Time Becomes Quality Time—
Sometimes, it’s difficult for us to rest on Sundays because my husband works six days each week. It can be tempting to skip Sunday rest time in exchange for family time with him. However, tempting as it is, that has never worked out well for us. If you read the first three benefits of rest, you will understand why it never works out. Because if our family is not in step with God and we have more meltdowns and more mood swings, would anyone want to spend time together as a family? We would be crazy to think that was a good time!
Allowing Sunday to be a time of rest allows everyone to get a much-needed mental break! If you need to sleep, sleep! If you don’t need to sleep, that’s fine, but expect your children to do something in their beds, in their rooms, quietly. It not only gives those who want to sleep the opportunity to do so, but it forces them to quiet their minds for a while. Brains need that time to recuperate so that when everyone gets up, you can be ready to dive into the fun again!
I grew up with parents whose favorite saying was, “People die in bed! Get up and live!” Though that mentality is a good one, overall, it taught me, in some ways, to feel guilty for resting. I have had to remind myself that resting when necessary is not laziness. It is, again, what God teaches in His Word. So, if you’re like me and think that you’re wasting time with your children if they’re resting, or you’re resting, it’s time to kick that mentality to the curb! Quality time over quantity!
- Your Body Will Thank You!—
Yes, children’s bodies are constantly growing and they need extra rest for that to happen. But what about adults? Um, my body needs rest too! I’m not going to lie, when you reach the age at which you can injure your body just from…sleeping. Oh boy. It’s sobering. The importance of rest is not lost on me!
Aside from that, though, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the health benefits of getting a good night’s sleep. I don’t even have babies or toddlers and it is not unusual for me to be up at least once a night with one of my children. Our son gets leg cramps. Or our daughter is talking or walking in her sleep! One night, we woke up as she was opening the front door to leave! Our youngest daughter wakes up to go to the bathroom in a panic and our oldest son snores. I’m not getting great sleep. Plus, I have two chronic illnesses that cause fatigue so a Sunday afternoon nap is sometimes a dire need!
Even if this is not the case for you and you’re reading this thinking, “I’m so glad I’m done with that stage of life!” I don’t really think I need to argue the physical benefits of rest, (but if you want to read more about it, this is a good source). We’re smart people! We know the facts and the research…but we still don’t do it sometimes, right?
I encourage you take Sundays off if there is any way that you can. If not Sunday, find a different day that your entire family can take a collective rest. Your housework and chores will still be there on Monday morning. I promise! Set the example for your children that the Lord has set for you and recognize the importance of rest! Maybe your children will get into the habit and set the example for their children too!
Final Thoughts on the Benefits and Importance of Rest for Moms and Kids
I think it’s safe to say that in this world of constantly spinning our wheels; schlepping kids from one activity to the next; being constantly inundated with media; and all types of sensory overload; and the list goes on and on; taking time to rest is a good thing!
If you’re a working mom, sometimes it’s hard to take the time, when your time with your children is so limited, but it’s just as important for you too! My friend has provided daycare for more than two decades. She said, “One of the biggest mistakes I see parents making is trying to make up for lost time with their kids all weekend. Their kids don’t want to go to the museum, or the arena, or to a waterpark, or even to Grandpa’s and Grandma’s all weekend long. They need to be home and spend some quiet, quality, restful time with their parents.”
It was interesting, and yet so true. Sometimes, you just need someone to give you permission–or you need to give yourself permission to just rest! Everyone will thank you!
RElated: Five Healthy Habits of Children
