Why Moms Stay Up Late Even When We're Exhausted

We’re tired. So why are we always staying up so late??

“Why do I do this to myself?!”

Those are the words of a perpetually tired mom — a mom that despite being utterly exhausted by the time all three kids are in their beds just can’t seem to get to bed herself.

“Why did I stay up so late?”

Every morning as I drag myself out from under the covers I promise myself that I’ll go to sleep earlier next time.

One week I even tried setting a “bedtime” alarm on my phone!

But just like I often do in the morning, I hit snooze on that bedtime alarm…a few times. Before I know it, the clock says 12:32am and I’m back to where I started.

Mamas, why do we do this to ourselves?

Why Do Moms Stay Up Late at Night?

Why do we stay up late when we know we shouldn’t? When we know we’re going to be tired the next morning?

It’s simple really!

This is when we shower. (For longer than 5 minutes)

This is when we work out (if we still have the energy left!)

Sometimes this is the first time we have a chance to sit down for dinner. Like, really sit down and enjoy it.

After all the mess-makers are asleep, we clean up the house, knowing full well that it will be wrecked again by 10am the next morning. Yet we clean anyway so we don’t feel like a total failure at keeping house.

When the language police are in bed, we can use BAD words…like “stupid” and “oh my gosh.” (Y’all, the language police are strict in our house!) We can even use really bad words if we want to — it’s so liberating!

We can watch TV shows that aren’t G-rated. Or animated. Or mind-numbingly boring. Or things we’ve seen already 1000 times.

On very special days where the baby is asleep, all the chores are done, and both my husband and I showered sometime within the past two days, there might even be some hanky-panky. Those are definitely my husband’s favorite days.

But do you want to know the real reason moms stay up so late?

In three words:

WE EARNED IT.

That’s right, after a full day of making sure all the bills are paid and every kid is still in one piece, I feel like I deserve an hour or two where I Just. Do. Nothing.

Yep, nothing.

I plop down on the couch and I get caught up on all the shows that normal people watch at normal hours.

I might even treat myself to a glass of wine, but that’s not even a necessity.

All I want is just to turn my brain off for a few minutes.

To forget about the bills that still need to be paid, annoying phone calls that need to be made, chores that didn’t get done, upcoming appointments, and everything else on my mental to-do list.

And if that means that I stay up a little too late or I am a little extra tired in the morning, so be it.

I don’t just want this time, I need it.

To my fellow night-owl moms…

I see you…and I get it.

I, like you, would love to wake up with the sun, peppy and refreshed — but that’s why coffee was invented.

Maybe someday we moms will figure out how to be more organized and efficient with our time so we don’t have to stay up so late to finish everything.

Ha. Ha. Did you just laugh out loud too?

I dream of the day when afternoon naps are a thing. For me, that is. My grandparents took an hour nap every day after lunch — they definitely earned it after raising seven kids!

But for now, I’ll settle for Netflix and merlot.

And strong coffee the next day.