Measuring Time

Many evenings before my husband and I go to bed, our teenage son comes downstairs to say goodnight. Sometimes, if we are lucky, we get some snuggle time with him. He is over six feet tall but he will lay across our bed and cuddle with us for a few minutes. I love this time with him. He is often in constant motion, but during this time he is calm and peaceful. A typical teenager, on most nights he goes to bed much later than we do. Particularly on school nights, he often stays up very late to finish his homework. Also like a typical teenager, he has trouble waking up early in the morning for school, especially when he stayed up too late the night before.

One weeknight, he came down to our room for some cuddles and lingered for quite a while. I realized he was not anxious to go back to his room to finish his work. Even though I was thoroughly enjoying spending that time with him, I knew that if he didn’t get back to his work, he wouldn’t get enough sleep. “Sweetheart,” I said, “it’s time to go back upstairs and finish your work.” He groaned and didn’t move. “If you don’t head up now, you won’t get eight ounces of sleep,” I said. He lifted his head up and smiled at me. “Mom, do you realize you just told me to get eight ounces rather than eight hours of sleep?” I guess the disciplines of this program are so deeply ingrained that I weigh and measure more than just my food!