Moms trying to sleep
First tip
The School for Housewives brings you short, practical, and thoughtful messages to inspire you to make your home. If you’re new here, go to the homepage for the previous Lessons; the categories are arranged in the menu bar at the top.
This unit in The School is about being ready for the day (even if the day will not be eventful), waking up at your appointed time (whatever time that’s best for you), and getting to bed before too late.
Personally, actually getting to sleep has always been a problem for me, due to an overthinking personality and a sheep-dog soul (picture that collie zooming around to collect the herd).
Today’s homework: Create a habit where you plug your phone in last thing in the evening to charge, but make it somewhere not in your bedroom.
Don’t take your phone to bed.
Auntie Leila will not tell you to ditch your phone entirely. Maybe that sort of cold-turkey works for you, which would be fine, but I’m just saying, don’t take it to bed.
The charging light is not good for you.
It’s not good to have it be the last thing you look at before sleep, the thing you reach for when you wake up in the middle of the night, and the first thing you pick up in the morning.
It is listening to everything. Every. Thing.
Get an alarm clock (or ask your husband to wake you up gently). Get a dumb phone if you want or need to be able to make or receive calls (I get the teens out driving thing) — but don’t let its charging light be visible.
Honestly, though, it could be on the table in the hall.
Pleasant Dreams, 1852 by Henry Nelson O'Neil
As with everything here at the SFH, the best thing is for you to take my ideas, which come from my experience of escaping feminism to enjoy the gift of 45 years of marriage, seven children, and more than a score of grandchildren, and apply them to your situation with discernment, prudence, and confidence — and a sense of humor!
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For the longer version:
My book on how to live with the Liturgical Year: The Little Oratory
This has helped me so much. I started leaving my phone in the kitchen to charge simply to set a good example for my teens. Now I actually read books before bed which is a lot more relaxing than scrolling. The phone is always listening and the kids are always watching. I love that they see me reading instead of scrolling at night.