Sleep deprivation is a form of torture.

Unless you are a parent, in which case it is a form of "children are a blessing, you wanted this, you're on your own, suck it up, good luck."

#parenting

@TarkabarkaHolgy [Blank stare into tea cup, trying and failing to start my brain.] Every moment with them is a gift! 😂

@szakib I once went to the office to get healthcare paperwork done, got it done, walked out, and then found myself in the other side of town wandering in a mall. I have no recollection of the in-between.

@TarkabarkaHolgy Yeah. I think the first three years of parenthood were basically just a blur of bug-eyed exhaustion and way too much coffee.

@hedders especially when you have zero family around to help

@TarkabarkaHolgy

But you can "surely take a few little breaks throughout the day".

As if 5 min and a cup of tee will fix it. Though admittedly it's nice.
What I need is s proper night's rest for at least a week if not a month 😴

@tee_eulchen my favorite is "wake up before the family and take time to start your day." Child wakes up at 5am screaming "PLAY!" every day.

@tee_eulchen but yeah, scientifically speaking one would need about 2 weeks to start recovering from sleep deprivation. Which will likely happen when the kid is in college.

@TarkabarkaHolgy @buherator for some reason, this @slashdot headline from 2000 stuck with me and when I’m sleep deprived I often think about it https://science.slashdot.org/story/00/02/11/0648213/sleep-deprivation-increases-brain-activity

@raptor @TarkabarkaHolgy I imagine this is similar how the brain can recover from certain kinds of damage, reassigning tasks of damaged tissue to other parts?

@buherator @TarkabarkaHolgy might be… all I can say is that when I read this I was in my early 20s and I could be functioning even with very little sleep. Now, with a 3yo it’s much different 😅

@TarkabarkaHolgy I feel like parenting is so at odds of what I perceive to be 'modern' messaging re. self care i.e. prioritise your mental health, don't take on more than you can handle, know your limits, do what brings you joy... Like, all of that comes after what the child wants/ needs.
Balancing this contrast against the joys of children honestly I feel could be what contributes to my seemingly endless brain fog.
My general response has been broken down to: "Tired, lol"

@chriszx This. All of self-care advice goes out the window because you can't really prioritize your needs with a toddler. Or take your ow time. Or "fill your cup first." Literally. I have not been alone at home since Christmas.

@TarkabarkaHolgy this message took 40 mins to write due to 3 incidents of vomiting and wanting to swing a rattle around despite not being able to fully hold it yet.
I sigh derisivley whikst also feeling endless joy. Confusion.

@TarkabarkaHolgy Certain years of my life are a total blur of mostly automatic and semi-conscious action. :)

@TarkabarkaHolgy Honestly? Only a child's own parents can even tolerate their screaming. It's torture even to their siblings. Personally, I think it's foolish to even HAVE a baby, unless you really really really want one and have the ability to deal with all its attendant problems without complaining.

@thepoliticalcat

That is absurd. One can complain. Taking care of a child, especially alone, it's hard. I don't have kids because I don't think I could handle it but I wouldn't dream to tell a venting parent that they can't complain because they wanted it. People make choices that, even when good, sometimes are hard and they have the right to complain or to ask for help

@TarkabarkaHolgy

@bbacc @TarkabarkaHolgy Thanks for letting everyone know how pure of heart you are. I'm sure it will help SOMEone. Maybe. If anyone reads it. Or agrees.

@thepoliticalcat

Truly a master of sarcasm.

I was just being decent; I don't really need any kind of validation for that.

I don't know you so I don't have anything against you but I found your comment insensitive and I let you know.
peace

@TarkabarkaHolgy