The Witching Hour blues

There’s a special time of day when everyone hits their limits. But when does that clock stop ticking?

- PAT McDERMOTT

The baby healthcare sister used to call it ‘Mothering Hour’. At my best friend’s house they called it the ‘Grizzle Zone’. To this day she puts her survival down to Arrowroot biscuits and gin.

At our place it was known as the ‘Witching Hour’, that special time every day when absolutely nobody is happy. Especially me. The Witching Hour happens between 4.30 and 6.30 pm so, technically, it’s two hours of misery. In winter it’s grey and chilly and you wished you’d remembered to bring in the clothes earlier. In summer it’s hot and humid and the sun won’t drop behind the garage for another hour.

It’s the time babies are in a muddle. They’re hungry but too tired to enjoy eating. They’re tired but too hungry to sleep. They’re damp and crotchety and want you to cuddle them and make dinner at the same time.