Why is it so hard to get used to the time change?

Was it always this hard?

Or does age have something to do with it?

Just random thoughts to ponder; perhaps I should give myself a little grace period to get used to this, since it hasn’t been that long since we all had to ‘spring ahead.’

On the selfish side, I prefer the ‘fall back’ because it means I get an extra hour of sleep that one night a year. But then again, I also like the ‘stays lighter later’ impact of Daylight Saving Time, even though it now means it is still kind of dark when I get up in the morning. Ultimately, I would rather have the light at the end of the day so it’s just a trade off in many ways.

My granddaughter has had some trouble adjusting too; her sleep schedule has been somewhat jumbled and she’s also at the point where some days, she doesn’t think she needs a nap.

The other day, for instance, I arrived when she was supposed to be napping – my daughter had been unsuccessfully trying to get her to settle down for quite some time. My daughter left for work; I took over trying to get Lorelei to take her nap. Sometimes she settles down if you sit in the chair by her crib so I tried that but she just kept throwing her blanket out and then asking me to put it on her body and also tuck in her three stuffed animals she had with her.

Then she would kick it off and the process would start again.

Finally, I gave up and told her she didn’t need a blanket, she just needed to rest.

She was doing her best not to give in to sleep so she started a steady stream of chatter; we ended up talking about the recent trip she had taken with her parents to go flower picking and she told me about all the colors of flowers she picked and which was her favorite.

She sang the ABC’s and counted as far as she could; she can get up to 20 but doesn’t always go in order. Then she announced in no uncertain terms that “Nap time over, Mimi. Nap time over.”

Well, Mimi let her know that nap time can’t be over if you haven’t even closed your eyes yet.

Oh, the joy of trying to reason with a two-year-old. A headstrong two-year-old, at that.

Even the “close your eyes for just two minutes” didn’t work.

And since I had to head off to cover softball and baseball that day, she ended up winning: no nap. We were on the road to Escalon and she got to enjoy some fresh outdoor air and sunshine and cheer on the teams. She was wearing her little backpack so she could carry her own snacks and luckily for Mimi, it is a backpack attached to a leash so she can’t get away from me. She would run on the field if she could. There was quite a bit of excitement when a foul ball went over the backstop on the baseball diamond, hit the dirt hillside adjacent to the bleachers and rolled back down, almost directly to her feet as we stood behind the backstop where I was shooting pictures.

She quickly grabbed it up and was happy to throw it back at (not really to, more at) a coach in the dugout in between innings. She was hoping for the same thing at softball but no foul balls came our way there. She did get a chance to take some photos but they turned out to be mostly of the sky, not the field; she still has to work on her aim a little.

Her world is expanding so fast, she just seems hungry for knowledge about everything and she amazes me with how much she remembers.

Of course, that can be a two-edged sword. Chances are, the next time I am watching her and she doesn’t want to take a nap, she’ll probably ask if we can just go cover sports instead …

Marg Jackson is editor of The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News. She may be reached at mjackson@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.