Ode to the 'Dad Nap'
My professor for my Women and Gender Studies class (fitting) shared this article on the “dad nap” and nothing has ever resonated with me more. As a huge napper myself – and a daughter to the dad who might very well have invented the dad nap – I love everything about this.
One of my dad’s many impressive skills is the ability to lie horizontal in the middle of our house. Our home embodies that Scandinavian open-concept design where the entire downstairs is basically all one interconnected room. This is important to note because I’ll come into the kitchen ready to pretty much bang on pots and pans and make my lunch, and my dad will be lying straight as a plank, hands across his chest, eyes closed in the perfect image of the dad nap.
Hugo and Ruby indulging in a dad nap.
I’ll sort of tip toe around the kitchen, trying to be respectful of the dad nap, but to be fair it’s virtually impossible to be totally silent in a house as open and echo-y as ours. You might think that my dad can’t possibly be too bothered by the noise, considering he’s chosen to sleep in the middle of the house, but beware that one eye will open in warning at the sound of a cupboard closed too loudly or the clanking of a bowl placed in the dishwasher.
This is all said with the highest regard to both my dad and the dad nap itself. I totally take after my father. There’s no sweeter sleep than one where you get to conk out with the full awareness that other people are awake and taking care of all the things that you don’t need to worry about.
For me, it started at a very young age. I’d be tucked into my twin bed for my 8 o’clock bedtime, innocently dozing off without a care in the world. Through the haze of my sleep, I’d be dreamily aware of my mom coming in to put away some fresh laundry in my closet. I felt cared for and safe, and no lullaby could put me to sleep faster.
Selfishly, it’s glorious knowing that you get to rest while someone else is doing what needs to be done. My enjoyment of this blissful nap only enhances my understanding of how lovely it is for my dad who’s conked out on the couch or my mom who’s resting on top of her comforter with her bedroom door wide open. Game recognizes game.
I fully agree with everything Jessica Grose has to say in her article, and I think it’s time everyone co-opts the dad nap. So try it out – you’ll feel rejuvenated and have a greater appreciation for the chores being done while you’re drifting off. Plus, you’ll totally get it the next time you see your mom/dad/spouse passed out on the living room couch.