Why did you wake up?
Last night Elisabeth walked into our room in the middle of the night. After partially coming to my senses I got out of bed and walked her back to her room. She didn't seem upset or sad, so I asked her, "Why did you wake up?" She answered, "The tiger was growling." That was the most creative middle-of-the-night answer I had received. I tucked her in, and went back to bed. Later she returned to our room - again not upset, but clearly not asleep. Since we had gone to bed late, I figured I would get more sleep if I pulled the sleeping bag out on the floor next to her bed. We both went to sleep and slept through until the morning (and I didn't hear any more tigers).
This morning I thought I might get a clearer answer on why she had come into our room so many times in the night, so I asked again, "Why did you wake up?" I got the same answer I had received in the night: "The tiger was saying grrr."
I guess I should have listened when she answered my question the first time.
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4 comments:
Graham, I enjoy reading your posts on Christian parenting, especially when you talked about "breaks". Can you tell me why it is important that we let children sleep in a separate room right from birth as opposed to a family bed/room? Is it to teach them to be independent right from the start? What is your take on that?
God bless.
-Ann
Thanks, Ann, for your encouragement and feedback.
To your question, I don't know anyone who advocates a separate child room from birth (although I'm sure they're out there). My perspective (which is admittedly small, having only one child) is that kids develop the ability to self-soothe and sleep alone steadily as they grow.
While Elisabeth was still nursing in the night, it was great to have her in a bassinet in our room. After she stopped the night feeding we often woke her up accidentally, which in turn woke us up - and so we ended up sleeping in the living room of our one-bedroom apartment for six months so that we could put her down in the evening and not have to go to bed ourselves at 7:30. :)
Does that answer your question?
Thank you, Graham, for clarifying that for me. It was an advertisement for a bassinet which attaches to the parents' bed that prompted my query. The ad said that children who sleep close to their parents grow up to become secure and confident individuals. What you said makes perfect sense too.
-Ann
While I think having an infant nearby, I would hesitate to say that this is the cause of one growing up to be a secure and confident individual . . .
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