09/12/2021
Those that know me, know that my family has moved more than a few times in recent years. Many of these moves were our choice but of course still challenging at the same time, and all in all our kids have adjusted remarkably well and built resilience I didn't even know was possible.
Through all the new homes, I have laid with our youngest in the evening after stories to help him feel safe and comforted falling asleep. To be honest though, I'd probably do this even if we still lived in the house we brought him home. It's just something he has asked for and over time I have grown to really value. It's become our thing, we have a chit chat and he shares his thoughts that normally stay in his head. Tonight he asked me if it is okay that right now with tomorrow being the last day of school he feels more sad to leave his wonderful teachers and awesome new friends than he does excited for break and for the next grade level. I got to share times I relate to feeling both happy and sad and reassure him how common that is for classmates too. Last night he shared how many elves were actually making gifts that night versus sleeping, so depth of conversation definitely varies. 😉
Over the years, I have learned to be the mum I feel best being. So many have told me I needed to teach him to fall asleep much much younger. Actually for our oldest all the tried and true sleep methods worked well. But with this one my husband and I decided to follow our guts. We decided to do what works for our family best. Will he go away to uni asking me to lay in his bed, highly doubtful, so I'm enjoying the snuggles.
Morale of the post, do what works for you. Do what you believe is best for you and your family. And know that it could and probably will change a lot as time goes on and that's okay too. Maybe like us you play musical beds or maybe your child is now a great self soother and sleeper or maybe you co-sleep, maybe you bottle feed or breast feed or both, maybe you make one dinner for all or five different ones, whatever it is, do what works for you and know that many, many others are doing the same! ❤️
