Overtired Children vs Fun Memories

We had some amazing cousin time yesterday that ended with a late bedtime and lots of belly laughter. It was the sweetest thing to watch my son’s friendship with his cousins grow stronger. He was so excited to share his toys and show them our apartment.

We had a great night, and somehow we successfully fit nine people into our small apartment. There were air mattresses everywhere, but somehow, we all slept through the night.

The next day, we kept the adventure going and went to an aquarium and then to Pier 39. But at the aquarium, I could see the overtiredness starting to creep in.

My son wanted to show me a specific shark in the tunnel, but I was busy running after my toddler. By the time I caught up with her, he was crying and looked completely distraught. Thankfully, my sister-in-law was able to contain my toddler while I just held my son and let him cry about how I missed his shark.

I tried to find the shark again, but every shark we saw was the wrong one. I apologized for missing it, and after he calmed down, he did eventually find the exact shark again.

All was well… until he needed a snack.

That pattern continued throughout the day. The little things that normally wouldn’t push him over the edge suddenly felt like the worst things that could happen. I didn’t put Nutella on his pancake the right way. He didn’t want the chicken nuggets I ordered for lunch. His ice cream cone broke and started melting.

We finally made it to the car, and both of my kids fell asleep. Suddenly, there was silence. I was driving on one of my favorite highways, with the green hills stretched out around me. It was a beautiful drive, and I soaked in those 45 minutes of choosing my own music and thinking quietly.

We got home, and that’s when the big overtired reactions started.

He wanted his sister to go back to napping so he could have his usual alone time with me and watch his show by himself. That’s part of his normal routine while she naps after preschool. But today was different, and he was not happy about it.

While I was in the bathroom, he put her in their room and closed the door. He told her it was naptime and she couldn’t come out.

I tried all my usual soothing techniques, but nothing seemed to work. I offered FaceTime with Grandma, his favorite snack, his favorite show, and even a back scratch. But none of those things were what he actually needed.

After reflecting on the last couple of days, I realized how off our routine had been. Bedtime was later. He slept in a different room than usual. He didn’t have his normal bedtime routine. He missed his quiet time while his sister napped. He didn’t get his usual one-on-one time with me.

Eventually, the big feelings settled down, and we all ended up cuddling on the couch and watching Bluey.

What he really needed was downtime.

I find it so interesting that even good things with some of our favorite people can be overstimulating for a child. They still need rest. They still need routine. They still need space to recover.

We’re usually pretty good about protecting our routine, and I’m okay with breaking it sometimes to make memories. But watching my son reminded me that even happy, special days can be a lot for little nervous systems.

So tomorrow, we’ll go back to our routine. He’ll get his one-on-one mom time, build a train track, and watch one of his shows.

And honestly, I think we’ll both need it.