Pajamas...Or The Lack Thereof

I have received an award!

Open Grove Claudia has kindly given me with the "Most Likely to Inspire a Pair of Pajamas" award.

I'm not sure if I really inspire pajamas. I can only think of the fact that when my boys were smaller and I was really stressed out by my work schedule (and life in general), getting them out of their pajamas and into their clothes every morning just seemed to take forever.

So, I stopped having my sons wear pajamas. I'd give them their baths at night and then dress them in the clothes they were going to wear the next day.

That's terrible, isn't it? Yes, my poor children frequently slept in their clothes. Sure, the clothes were clean, but still, it was just trifling on my part!

This sleeping-in-clothes thing went on for quite a long time. So long that I am embarrassed to state an exact number of months that this went on...or, ahem, years.

I'd feel especially guilty when I'd be talking to folks and they'd say something like, "Gosh, you're amazing! How do you do it all?"

The fact was that I couldn't do it all and wasn't "doing it all". Heck, if I could've slept in my clothes and just gotten up and left the house in the morning, I'm telling you, I would have!

I simply had a good facade going on. A whole lot of us moms do this fronting. We don't want to admit that we are struggling with all of the myriad things we are supposed to be doing.

Thankfully, though, the days of them sleeping in their clothes are over with. And they finally know how to dress themselves in the morning!

Of course, I must pass this award along to someone, but I'm not sure if any of you want it given my lack of pajama expertise. I will mull it over, and in the meantime, I hear Victoria's Secret is having a sale.

Comments

"We don't want to admit that we are struggling with all of the myriad things we are supposed to be doing."

Wouldn't it be great if more mothers were more forthcoming about their struggles? A lot of women wouldn't feel guilty for not being Supermom!
Congrats on your award Liz.

Your post was very funny.
Anonymous said…
Hilarious!!! I ain't mad at cha!

Bodies were clean, clothes were clean.. what's the big deal?

My son is 5 (oops 6 yrs old) and it's still a struggle...
Anonymous said…
Been there. Done that:)

Congrats on your award. I'd definitely buy a pair of LA LIZ pjs. What do you think they'd be adorned with--Depeche Mode lyrics, perhaps:)?
Tafari said…
You forgot or must not be aware of the triflin commandments because you just violated commandment 32: Thou shall never reveal trifling things done to your children ever!

On the real, we need to do this with our 2 year old because she is a beast to deal with in the am with her early morning attitude.

The web awards they come up with me really amaze me. Anyway it is 2am here & my pjs are calling me loudly!

Bygbaby
SheWhoLives said…
Congrats on the award, Liz! I'm not a parent but it doesn't take a genius to see that it's the thoughest job in the world... Sounds like your kids are very much loved and looked after so that's all good!

I have linked to your page from mine, btw. Love your blog :-))
nick said…
What a wonderful confession, quite hilarious - and v. practical! I'm with dmb - if more mums revealed those little secrets, they wouldn't be so intimidated by the Supermum myth! And as Joy said, bodies clean, clothes clean, what's the problem? I'm sure there are plenty more of those cunning little ploys we don't know about (well, we non-parents anyway!)
Mes Deux Cents said…
Liz,

OMG! That is so funny and cute. Like you say the clothes were clean so why not!

Enjoy the award.

Thanks for brightening my morning!
Liz Dwyer said…
DMB
It would be great if that were the case. Instead, it seems like a lot of moms get into these weird competitions with other moms they know. It's really dumb.


NYC/CR,
Thanks! I hope my kids don't come across this in 20 years and scream, "This is why I'm in therapy right now!" ;)

Joy,
That's exactly what I always thought as well. They both really knew how to clown in the morning when it was time to get dressed, especially the youngest. I'm glad they've outgrown that craziness!

Jess,
Ooh, Depeche PJs! I like that idea. They could be black with silver lyrics and a red Violator rose...gosh, I could be making major money off of this! ;0

Bygbaby,
LOL! Trust me, that's only the tip of the trifling action iceberg!

I had to keep doing this dressing at night thing because my youngest was SO "artistic temperament" type as a two year-old that I'd wake him up to put clothes on him and he'd be angry because he didn't want to be touched AT ALL in the morning. Then he'd fly into a rage, take the clothes off and hide under the bed. So, if he just slept in them and I woke him up right before it was time to walk out the door, he had no opportunity to trip out.

Shelly
Thanks for the congrats! It is tough to be a parent these days because there's a whole lot of crazy imagery coming at kids these days. But my boys are really developing into sweethearts. I love them dearly...I'm such the mother hen. And I need to update my link list as well. Thanks for reminding me! :)

Nick,
The supermom (although I rather like supermum) thing seriously needs to be laid to rest. I sometimes think I'm a little bit more on the slacker mom side than I should be, but honestly, if it's working, and right now it is, then I'm not going to worry about it.

MDC,
I'm enjoying my award but now I'm thinking that I need some new PJs! I avoid any and all PJs with superheros on the outside, but the idea Jess had about the Depeche Mode 'jammies has me wishing!
I had a chance to interview Mikki Taylor from Essence magazine in the Open Grove. I didn't expect to like her - fashion magazine person and all. I was so impressed with her. She spoke of making her life work for her even though she traveled every week, had a young son, worked out every day, and... and...

I admire you for finding solutions that work for you. It's really impressive.
1969 said…
I like to claim the Supermom title but you best believe that my kids have slept in their clothes before.

Supermoms have the ability to juggle and get things done....NOT that we do it all perfectly like Martha. Who has time to do all of that mess?

Now let me go look at that sale....I LOVE PAJAMAS!
Ian Lidster said…
I have zero pajama expertise as I haven't worn any since I was about 14. I don't think I even have any.
That is a very odd award, my dear.
Anonymous said…
Funny as hell! I never thought of that and I wish I had.
storyteller said…
You know they say, "Necessity is the mother of invention" and I suspect this qualifies. I'm all for creative solutions ... go with whatever works :)
Hugs and blessings,
Anonymous said…
It's definitely crossed my mind! Especially had darn cold it gets here in the mornings. I love when the school has pajama day.
Liz Dwyer said…
Claudia,
Thank you! I read a similar interview with Condoleeza Rice and she talked about how she exercises every single day on top of everything else she does. At first I was like, "Yeah, she has an assistant, so whatever!" But I admire it because it's easy to just say you're too busy.

1969,
I was watching Martha Stewart on the Today Show right before Thanksgiving, and I found myself thinking, "Who in the world has time to make this stuff?" I think folks must buy her magazine and just be hopeful about it because making her "crafts" could be a full-time job!

Ian,
My sons might be headed in that direction as well. When it was really hot over the summer, they were fine just sleeping in their superhero underwear. They seemed comfortable, and cooler, so I had no issue with that at all.

Jali,
Desperate times call for desperate measures! ;0 But they were totally fine. I'm only joking about them ending up in therapy. At least, I hope I am!

Storyteller,
I have had to find some really creative solutions and I'm sure it won't be the last time I do so.
Liz Dwyer said…
Mouzhan,
Hey! You were commenting when I was! :)

We haven't had pajama day yet. I should suggest that, but on the other hand, given what some of the 5th grade girls had on for Halloween costumes, maybe not!
Miss Awesome said…
When i was a kid I'd sleep in my school uniform because I hated waking up in the morning. Shoot, if I could get my son to actually wear clothes to bed, I'd probably be encouraging him to do the same thing.

Congrats on the award :)
Lydia said…
Liz! I looove this post!

Thank you for the Great Idea!! I am ecstatic to have a solution for the 4-6 children that are slowing down my mornings on any day that begins with a Y!!

The problem with the twins is that they still don't stay dry for the night and I would probably end up changing them anyway in the morning...so I think I will wait a couple of years to start them on the "clothes for pajamas" idea.

My teenagers however are going to start TONIGHT!! They all wear uniforms (sooo easy for bedtime!)
The girls are soooo slow, so I think I will have them comb their hair and wrap it at night too!! Ooo-wee this is fun!

My 13 year old NEVER washes or irons anything, so this works perfectly for him. Most people think he sleeps in his clothes anyway!!

You deserve this award and my thanks for "fronting" moms everywhere!!
Jameil said…
ARGH!! do you know blogger rebelled against me when i did my long drawn out comment and erased it!?!? i was devastated. sigh. but i diiiied laughing at the sleeping in their clothes! this does not make you a bad person!! i thought it was so funny! i def. don't know what the pjs award means but i don't want it b/c i can't stand pjs. i wrote a whole post on my food/fashion/music blog abt how vickie's is trippin w/their pjs obsession. i esp. can't stand the matching flannels bit. yick.
I asked Mikki Taylor about her assistants, her nanny, her cook. She bristled and said, "I take care of my life and my family the way my mother did. No assistants, no nanny, no cook. It's definitely a challenge but nothing is more important to me."

She's cool.
Liz Dwyer said…
BMP,
I used to have dreams that I was sleeping in my clothes, and then I wouldn't get up in time because I figured I could just roll out of bed and go. My mom used to get so annoyed about that.

Janie,
Glad to pass the, er, great idea, along! ;) Well, with the twins you could try those overnight diapers or those diaper doubler things...but I know what you mean. Slightly damp clothes are not cute.

I am dying laughing though over the imagery of you telling your teenagers that from now on, they're sleeping in their clothes. Your 13 y.o. will probably celebrate. The girls, not so much! You know that half of the fun of being a teen girl is annoying your mother over how much time you take to do your hair in the morning! LOL!

Jameil,
I'm so sick of blogger acting up when I hit "publish your comment" that I've started copying the text I've written before I hit the friendly orange button, just in case.

You know I don't need any flannel PJs out here in LA. I can't even imagine how hot those would feel. I have always wanted a nice pair of satin PJs -- either in a nice pink or light green (nope, not an AKA! LOL!) because both colors look really good on me.

I am also proud to say I've never bought anything from Victoria's Secret. They aren't even from the UK. Such fakers!

Claudia,
Wow! I'm SO glad you asked her that. It's admirable that you kept it real and asked, and really cool that she doesn't want to just pass everything off to someone else. But trust me, if I ever get some money, I will definitely be tempted to hire in this order):
1) Trainer
2) Housekeeper
3) Chef
4) Assistant!
Lola Gets said…
Ok, this was toooo funny! I know my mother didnt do that to me. She did the reverse. Whenever we were going to be out late, or flying cross-country, she made us wear footie pyjamas. So we'd be at relatives or friends houses, or in the airport or on the freakin plane, in footie pjs! Folks thought my sister and I were cute, so it wasnt that bad, lol.
L

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