Last Sunday, I gave myself that extravagant luxury of a semiannual gift of a nap. Later that evening I had a conversation with five-year-old granddaughter Jane, who just started kindergarten. I couldn’t wait to ask her about school.
With stars in her eyes, Jane exclaimed that she didn’t have to take naps anymore! Her single biggest joy to report was the fact that the school day has now eliminated her midday rest obligation.
Jane’s dad was standing nearby. When I looked at him in puzzlement, he replied, “Jane suffers from the FOMO Syndrome. She has a ‘Fear Of Missing Out.’”
Of course, I understood her plight, regularly experiencing that syndrome myself. But young children struggle with FOMO of the highest degree. While their bodies need the restoration of a midday slumber, their active little minds churn with curiosity and a desire to move. Children are loathe to stop the action long enough to give their bodies the rest they need.
Some would argue all humans should nap regularly, like 85% of mammals do. American children and many elderly folks nap, and in lots of other countries napping is an accepted practice of the culture. The late, great Yogi Berra once shared, “I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four.” But sleep research has shown that a quick nap of 20-30 minutes improves short-term alertness for most adults.
For children, a nap is even more critical. It offers growing bodies a time to rest from the rigors of nearly constant movement. It also allows for a mood “re-set,” allowing the frayed edges of hurt feelings or temper tantrums to be replaced by a more peaceful perspective. A midday nap for children provides families with a happier dinnertime and evening.
It’s one of the great ironies of raising children that kids fight sleep at every turn, while their exhausted parents would give their eye teeth for a period of undisturbed slumber. Sleep, like youth, may be wasted on the young. But an afternoon nap may actually be healthy for busy folks of every age. As Winnie the Pooh observed, “Let’s begin by taking a smallish nap,” even if it means missing out on a little bit of fun.
