Never Say Never

Before I became a parent, I was highly judgmental without an ounce of grace or understanding for parents. I swore up and down I would never do this or that and now I do exactly what I said I wouldn't. Since I have become a parent, I have much more grace, compassion, and understanding for other parents.

One of the things I said I'd never do was allow my kid(s) to sleep in our room, whether in our bed or on the floor. I'm still pretty adamant about not letting kids sleep with us in our bed, not because I think it's bad parenting (which I don't) but because I like my sleep. I don't sleep well with wriggling, restless toddlers. I've learned not to say that I will never let Ava sleep with us but to say that I hope and plan not to let her sleep with us.

In my last post, I mentioned the sleep issues Ava was having. We finally came to a solution that made everyone happy. Ava sleeps on her crib mattress on the floor next to our bed (something I said I'd never let her do). She insists on going to sleep with a lamp on and with the door open. Her bed is right next to the door with a view of the living room. She watches us from the bed until she drifts off to sleep. She wakes up afraid during the night, shaking and crying but that has lessened. Two nights ago, she only woke up once before we went to bed but slept rest of the night through so we had an uninterrupted night of sleep. Last night, she woke once. She no longer needs us right next to her as she falls asleep. Bedtime and naptime battles have disappeared. I'm glad for the progress.

Well, never say never.