Do you spend your child's naptime teaching?

[momee]

If so, when do you recharge?

[LaxMom]

No. My children spend MY nap time reading. :lol:

 

Seriously. If I don't get some down time, I'm likely to snap.

Edited November 19, 2011 by MyCrazyHouse

[Whereneverever]

No, I make everyone do quiet time while the toddler naps. That's my time to sleep or eat or clean or stare at the walls. Whatever that day calls for. :tongue_smilie:

[Aubrey]

Often, yes--not always. But it's easier for me to teach during nap time & then let them all play together if I need down time. And the littles behave better when they're awake if they know they'll get some time w/ the bigs at some point. :001_smile:

[Ellie]

Only two dc here. Older dd quit napping when she was 2yo.:glare: Younger dd napped until she was 4, bless her heart. When she napped, I read aloud to older dd (just one chapter a day), and then we just piddled around the house. I didn't take naps. Recharging? That's what early bedtime for dc is for. :D

[happyhomemaker]

Dd2 is still in the lovely stage where they take 2 naps a day. So I teach for the first nap, and then we all have a rest time for the second one. I don't have a plan yet for when she drops the morning nap. I'm trying not to think about it. I love the morning nap stage.

[2squared]

Absolutely. I teach my 4th grader during the 2 hour morning nap. My 2nd grader gets my attention during the afternoon nap. I try to start the afternoon session before my 12mo goes to sleep so I can get done early enough to have at least 30 min of non-teaching time before he wakes up. That 30 min is when I work on my daily chores. That way I am available for managing the kids during their 5:00 pick-up time.

 

My 3.5yo often naps still, but she puts herself to sleep when she is tired. Once they are past 2yo, they seem to be much easier to manage during school time, so I don't worry about entertaining the 3yo & 5yo while I'm teaching.

 

I can grab a 15 minute power nap after lunch if my olders watch the baby. That's the extent of my re-charging during the week. I do usually nap on the weekends, and I fill the weekend nap slot with my projects whenever possible.

[Carrie12345]

Naptime usually means part teaching time and part showering time. Once in a while, that leaves a bit of me time. I suppose I'll recharge in the nursing home. :tongue_smilie:

[momacacia]

Yes and no. This is a problem I'm working on. What to do, what to do! It is such great quality teaching time and personal investment time with the 7yo and thankfully 2yo naps a LONG time, so I could potentially teach and recharge. I try to get either phonics or math done during the morning (with whatever else) and leave the other to naptime. That leaves just the one core subject to naptime and will then probably fit more history or Bible reading in then, too.

 

Recharge? Hmmm. Not so good at that. Maybe that's why I have adrenal fatigue. :001_huh: I'll be :bigear:.

[Janie Grace]

I used to, til this year. I couldn't IMAGINE not having that time. Now, I have to use it to teach. The toddler is way too distracting and my middle schoolers have way to much work for us to be able to take off for that window. It's when our most productive schooling happens.

 

I recharge by staying up too late at night. SOMETIMES I'll sit on my porch swing for 30 minutes before starting dinner (kids with instructions not to bother me and to care for the little ones).

 

I rarely feel recharged, though. :glare:

[6packofun]

We have always done school during all or most of our little one(s)'s naptime. It was most convenient and the most focused of our school time--sometimes the *only* school time I could manage. LOL I have always taken my recharging time at night when everyone is in bed so this worked for us.

 

I think it really depends on how much "me" time a mom wants every day and that depends on personality, the family schedule, and the phase of life, so this works for some and not for others.

[cin]

No. My children spend MY nap time reading. :lol:

 

Seriously. If I don't get some down time, I'm likely to snap.

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

Mine get a reading assignment and then they can watch a movie.

[cin]

Naptime usually means part teaching time and part showering time. Once in a while, that leaves a bit of me time. I suppose I'll recharge in the nursing home. :tongue_smilie:

 

:smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5:

[LittleIzumi]

Mine stop napping pretty early. :glare: Right now only the baby naps, and I try to get math and some cleaning or cooking done while he's down. He has math radar & freaks out whenever we do math while he's awake.

[Mom-ninja.]

Yes.

 

I don't recharge. :)

[2squared]

I resisted schoolwork during nap time for a long time. Then I realized that I was so stressed by trying to teach while controlling toddlers. It just wasn't worth whatever break I was getting. Now I don't get a consistent break, but my overall stress load has significantly reduced. My kids are doing much better with their schoolwork and we are making so much more progress. We have little fighting and fewer interruptions. Our days flow much smoother, and I feel like everyone is getting more of me since I'm not bouncing around as much. I dearly miss my downtime, but the tradeoff has been very worth it for me.

[meggie]

Yes, that is the only way we could get anything done. Digby likes to take pencils and books and paper. He also likes to scream and throw things and run. If I need to get something done (nap, shower, cleaning, dinner whatever) I know I can always bring the laptop up to the boys room and put a movie in for them.

[yellowperch]

Doing our work feels good--that's my recharge. DS2 is a super active, cheery little guy. It isn't hard for the kids to focus on their independent work, so long as I'm running with DS2. But when he rests that beautiful head to sleep, we can teach, learn, discuss, draw.

[Meriwether]

Yes, we do read alouds and projects then or make up ground from an unproductive time in the morning.

[Mrs. A]

That's the ONLY way we can get anything done. DD2 is such a bouncing-off-the-walls kinda kid that there is no way we can do much with her trying to participate. :tongue_smilie:

 

My sanity is early bedtime. DD2 in bed by 7:30, DS and DD1 in their room by 8, lights out at 9. So really my evening starts at 8 and I have a good solid two hours ALL to myself (more if I'm not too tired)! I also try to get up before everyone wakes in the mornings and get some time to wake up in silence!

 

There are also odd snatches during the day when everyone is playing together (or getting in trouble!) and no one really needs me.

[KrissiK]

No, my two youngest nap, my three oldest watch their tv show and I surf the Net, blog and zone out.

[silliness7]

No nap time here, but I am very covetous of my evening hours. I really like all kids to be in their rooms by 9:30 most evenings (8 for the younger ones) so that I can have some kid-free time and "recharge." But just the other day I was saying to nobody in particular that I wished I had a teacher's lounge especially at lunch time.

[J-rap]

I had my children nap or have a quiet time for a long time (through kindergarten!). I usually spent the first half relaxing, the second half doing "business" -- paying bills, making business phone calls, etc.

[KungFuPanda]

My kids were 4 and 1 when we started. I did ALL of our schooling during ds's nap time for years. Now they are old enough to do their lessons while I nap. :D

[swellmomma]

Mostly. I recharge at some point at the end of the night once I finish the chores, and the kids are asleep for the night, and things are photocopied for the next day etc. There is a reason I covet weekends like this where I am down to just 1 kid. I have a ton of housework to do, but I have the luxury of doing it slowly, with multiple breaks to sit and relax, and read, and soak in the tub etc.