The other night Liam woke up crying with what I can only imagine was a bad dream. He had the saddest little cry. It was horrible! Who knows what he was dreaming about? (Will thinks he was dreaming that my nipples disappeared… Wierdo.) So anyways, he wakes up with this bad dream, in the saddest cry that you ever did hear, and I quickly rolled over and rubbed his back. After a minute or so, he let out a big sigh and let his body sink down into his pillow, and was soon back asleep. As I lay there for the next few minutes, I got to thinking about what just went down. Now for this to make sense, you should know that Will and I co-sleep with Liam. Some people call it “co-sleeping.” Some people call it “bed sharing.” And some people call it crazy. Whatever you want to call it, I thought a lot about it that night.
Now quick disclaimer: I totally do not judge people for different parenting styles. I understand that each momma has to do what they have to do. In this journey of newfound parenthood, we are all in survival mode. But hear me out on this. This tiny little being, with his who-knows-what thoughts flying around in his constantly developing brain, was shook to his core and woke up in a panic. And then suddenly he was able to hear me, smell me, and touch me with his little arm before the bad dream turned into a full screaming cry. I get so sad thinking of him waking up, scared, and finding out that there’s no one else in the room? That’s scary for me and I’m 34 years old. And I am not an expert in child development, but that has got to be everything to this little man. He is learning that he doesn’t have to cry his heart out before someone comes running. In these 6 short months, I really think he has built a trust in us. I can already see it being carried over to other moments in his life. Like when I drop him off at grandmas, or sit him in the middle of the sea of babies at story time, or walk into a crowded room full of new people with him on my hip. He is confident, happy, and most importantly, trusting. Maybe this is just his personality and we got lucky? Maybe the co-sleeping and attachment parenting has something to do with it? Either way, hopefully I can be there for him for many more years of bad dreams. Or as long as he’ll let me 🙂
I’m interested to hear if there are other mommies and daddies out there who do bed sharing or attachment parenting. Do you find your babies have become more trusting of new people? how long do you plan to co-sleep? I’d love to hear from you!
