Recent Musings:
A small confrontation.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
So I'm up too early for a weekend morning and I was yesterday as well...like hours before I planned to be. I'm finally building up the courage to talk with our neighbors below about how the child wakes me up constantly, morning and night; granted, I don't sleep as soundly as I used to and I do things to try to help myself sleep, but this has got to be confronted.
The child likes to jump and run; understandable, it's a child. Yet this happens consistently, like almost daily, during sleeping hours. It starts about 11 o'clock at night and can last as late as 2 a.m. and then can wake me up again at 7 a.m. at the start of the day. The whole house shakes and echoes when she does this and many times I'm startled awake from my sleep because of it. Of course the obvious questions are, 'when does the child sleep?' and 'why is the child awake at 2 a.m.?' But ultimately, this has happened for a very long time and I'm going to ask if they'd be willing to alter this behavior.
I'm nervous, apprehensive. I know this is their home; I know we share space; I know this is what children do; I know my husband wants me to keep my mouth shut. However, based on my new job, I've seen many people work on being honest and being brave with that honesty and if I'm going to help them along that path, I need to make sure I'm true to my words. As I learned observing a group the other night, it can be quite awkward and uncomfortable to face the hard issues, but if we don't then we just sit and stew over it and nothing gets resolved. Besides, I'm planning on being kind, asking/requesting a behavior change, and checking to see if there's a way I can do something for them in return. If none of that works, I stay in the same situation I am now; if any of it works, the situation may be improved.
I think I'm writing because I want justification, I want support. I know I have a tendency to ask/expect others to change when I don't like something about their behaviors instead of working within myself to accept, alter or leave the situation. I'll be honest - I need sleep, seriously. I can only do so many things to help myself with this situation and it's time to be a woman and stand up for myself.
And truly, what's the worst that could happen?