Sleepytime...

While talking with a dear friend of mine the other day she mentioned how she’s ‘failed to be a good parent about night time routines.’ It got me thinking of how society puts all these unrealistic pressures on parents to do things a ‘certain’ way or not. As a mother, I not only think of what is best but I also like to ‘feel’, you know, go with my gut, for what is best for my child. To be specific, I am a co-sleeping parent. What does that mean? I choose to have my baby sleep with me in my bed. Why? Because by doing this, we all actually get to sleep. I don’t want to be up struggling and trying to get my baby to go to sleep ‘alone’ because society says that you “should.” Does society know my own child better than I do? No way! I’m also someone who doesn’t believe that babies can be spoiled. The entire animal kingdom sleeps with their young. This is what we are meant to do also. There are so many other instances where societal influences actually force the parent to not honor what is best for their particular child. Children are not born with a “one size fits all” tag. What may work for one child just may not work for another especially when your child is letting you know what she or he wants or rather, needs from you as their parent. Fitting in with society doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to neglect your child(s) needs. This is a classic way to rear children that lose touch with their inner voice and learn to ‘not trust’. As parents, we must instill in our children that their needs are first and foremost in our loving and raising them, no matter what society or the neighbors may think. In the end, our children will not care about whether we fit into ‘societal norms’ but they will remember how we chose to parent and honor their needs as our children. Being a loving, present and willing parent is all they need. They’re only but little for a short time…