Ahhhh.....the sound of absolutely nothing can be delightful sometimes. When you have children and you are a SAHM there is almost no time during the day when it's quiet.....and I mean absolutely silent.
From the moment your children wake up until they go to sleep at night there is very little time in the middle when it could be quiet. And even during the night you usually have the monitor buzzing in your ear waiting for that little bundle of joy to squeak.
My favourite times of silence are usually when I can grab a shower ALONE....not another body in the room watching you through the shower stall, or someone running in just to see where you happen to have 'disappeared' to. Oh wait....and to get dressed without a small body in the room too to observe your choice of underwear and comment on the droopiness of body parts you have acquired due to having children.
When you have a newborn your body gets used to waking up for feedings. Sometimes you even wake up while baby has decided to actually sleep more then 4 hours. You wake up because you are used to getting up at....oh....let's say...4am. You've had about 4 hours sleep since the last feeding and usually baby is up wanting...yes, more food. So...what do you do? You think 'Awesome! I can get some more sleep and baby is finally starting to sleep longer." But then you think "But isn't the baby hungry. Should I wake him/her up for a feeding. My boobs are waiting for that kid to wake up (if you are nursing that is)" But then again that silence can be slightly disturbing as well as your mind races to think if the baby is still breathing, you convince yourself that of course the baby is breathing, but you also feel the urge to go check. So you usually do and risk the chance that you wake the baby up. You creep into the room very very quietly avoiding that squeaky board on the floor to peer into where baby is sleeping.....you smile as that gentle adorable face sleeps soundly and oh so quietly. You resist the temptation to bend over and smell that baby smell that they have even though you can smell it in the air the moment you stepped into their room. You stand very quietly next to their bed and wait for that movement or sound to come from them to reassure you that your beautiful baby is breathing. And when they do make that sound or movement you sigh and smile and slowly creep back to your room and try to catch a few extra hours of sleep until the next squeek from that monitor buzzing in your ear.
My moment of silence I will always remember was when I was driving home from my mothers one evening and both my girls fell asleep in the backseat. I had a moment of "Now I can listen to my music, anything I want. And NOT B-I-N-G-O, or Down By The Bay, or whatever the choice of music happens to be the favourite. But as I reached for the radio dial in my car I suddenly thought to myself that it is silent in the car and that I was going to enjoy it.....so I drove in silence. The only sounds I could hear from inside my car was the little snoring sounds from my children asleep in my backseat.
I will always remember that moment when silence was what I really craved and enjoyed while still in the company of my darling children. I even enjoy sitting in their room while they drift off to sleep, then I sit there a little while longer plunking away on my iPad playing a game, surfing the net, or writing.....in silence with my children. Listening to my youngest suck her thumb and make the squeaky noises that sucking ones thumb creates, is also enjoyable.
Being alone to enjoy 'me time' is nice, but I also enjoy quiet time with my kids.....even if it's when they are sleeping.