The more actual bodies that a household and family has, the tougher it is to get everyone on the same page–not to mention the same time clock! You might have thought it was hard enough when you were dating or first settling in with a partner or spouse (if you’ve got one)–adjusting to the other person’s style, mood, energy level, housekeeping standards, etc. Fast forward a few years and throw in a few children–and you’ve likely got individuals who are all headed in different directions and operating on very different time clocks.
Now, while I don’t have a spouse or partner, around my house I do have to wrestle with shifting sleep patterns and teenagers on all sorts of different schedules. There is one early riser and two late sleepers. I am quite apt to hear the washing machine start up at 11 PM or even 1 AM or hear someone throwing clothes in the clothes dryer at 5 AM. Cooking occurs around the clock and I’ve written before about the kitchen that never seems to close (the only break my kitchen gets is during the middle of the day when everyone is busy with work or school–and THAT disappears in the summer months). We argue about late night telephone calls, although I have friends who call quite early (because I’m old) and that doesn’t go over well with the late-sleeping set. We have negotiated guidelines around music, television, and computer and I have had to adjust to falling asleep even though there are still all sorts of things going on in my house–not an easy adjustment for a control-freak like me.
I try telling myself to hang in there and enjoy all the commotion and the constant activity at my house–in a few short years things will be very, very different. Unless I can round up some more bodies (children, animals, etc.) to keep my house jumping, it will soon be just me and my predictable time clock. Ah, but won’t the kitchen stay cleaner then!
See Also: When You and Your Child’s Temperament Don’t Match