Toddler in Chief has invaded nearly every personal space in my life. The living room is a toy room. The refrigerator is packed with kid-friendly food. My car is overflowing with toys for the park, a change of clothes, emergency diapers.
However, my bedroom--my bed--is a kid-free sanctuary.
Like many new parents, I loved snuggling my brand new baby in bed. I was amazed by his smallness, intoxicated by his baby smell, and captivated by his presence. But every time baby was in bed with us, neither parent could sleep. We were paranoid that we'd smother him or wake him up while trying to get comfortable on the outer slivers of the bed.
So, Toddler in Chief was moved to his own crib in his own room. And he loves being in there. Alone. At bedtime, he sings to himself, serenades his stuffed animals, talks about his day. In the morning, hearing him on the monitor is my cue that it's time to take a shower, check my email, brew some coffee. He's there for a good 30 minutes before he starts to get restless. If we slept together, that personal time would be gone.
Co-sleeping can be deadly for babies, and it's toxic for parents. Alone time is crucial for couples, and our bedroom is a special place just for us. Sure sex is part of it, but mostly it's an intimate place where we can snuggle, talk late into the night, read, watch TV, or just be--without kids.
So if TIC had to shed a few tears to learn to sleep alone in his bed, then that is a small--and short-lived--price to pay.
My sentiments as well, although I have to say that there have been a couple of nights where I would have written The Preschooler Formerly Known as Busy Baby a check to just settle down in bed with us instead of sleeping in 5 minute intervals.
Posted by: Busy Mom | Oct 24, 2005 9:40:35 AM