In the off-chance that Mommy actually gets to take a nap during the day, I feel the need to establish some sort of ground rules so that she benefits from said nap. You do, after all, want Mommy to wake feeling rested and rejuvenated instead of cranky and miserable, right?
1) If Mommy is sick, she should not be woken unless it is an emergency. A gas leak, fire, flooding, or a tree crashing on the house constitute an emergency. Not wanting to change Junior's diaper yourself is not.
2) Mommy needs, nay requires, extra time after being woken up before she is to resume her duties. Shaking her awake to tell her dinner needs to be started, beds need to be made, the kidlets need to be showered, and you're jetting off outside to mow the lawn is unacceptable. Yes, she will appreciate you mowing the lawn, but not before she cusses under her breath about being made to function before she's coherent.
3) It is extremely difficult to be on-call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year, and that's how Mommies live. Naps are a necessity of life from time to time, and should be treated as such, and not as if Mommy is just being "lazy."
4) Kidlets need to respect the need to nap. Them not wanting to take a nap is no excuse for them to destroy Mommy's chance for a little shut-eye when she looks like the walking dead. Train them young that a Quiet Time must be observed while Mommy rests. Climbing all over Mommy and otherwise using her as a jungle gym whilst shouting in her ear does not count as being quiet, contrary to popular beliefs and opinions.
5) Waiting until Mommy is almost asleep to ask permission to do something is just plain mean, and will result in an answer the opposite of what you are hoping to hear. Mommy is not going to want to get up, put down newspapers, and set up a protected area for you to paint a zillion pictures if she just barely closed her eyes when you decided you had to ask. Either ask her before she physically lies down or wait until she has been awake for a few minutes post-nap. (See again Rule #2.)
6) If Mommy asks you to wake her at a certain time and you fail to do so because you were too engrossed in your electronic gadgets, you will have to pay the piper. Mommy will not be amused at all. Mommies generally don't get enough sleep to begin with, so if she is saying she needs to be up at a certain time, there's a strong likelihood that it is because she needs the time to accomplish something.
And finally, 7) Cut Mommy some slack if she says she needs a nap. You all might have a busy weekend planned, but if she is saying she needs to rest, then you let her. A well-rested Mommy is a happy Mommy who can accomplish far more than she could do when physically having to drag her exhausted body from place to place.
Mommies everywhere also reserve the right to add additional rules as needed for their specific households. To be fair to Daddies, they can make their own dang nap rules, too.
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