You can’t help but giggle a little on the inside. And you come this close to making a snarky comment: “Oh that’s a shame! My kid never bought into the whole ‘routine’ thing, so if she misses a nap, life just goes on. She’ll sleep when she’ll sleep. For everything else, there’s ‘the boob’ – it fixes EVERYTHING.”
But you don’t. Because as vengeful as you may feel, you can relate to her pain, and how tired and helpless she feels in this moment. You’re no stranger to sleep-envy. And you’re well aware that your own temporary triumph is not a result of perfect parenting, but more likely a fluke. One that can end as randomly as it started.
You also remember how these comments burn when you’re at your most vulnerable.
What’s more, you don’t want to be the reason another mother suffers in silence, thus perpetuating unrealistic expectations about babies’ and young children’s sleep. Expectations that benefit nobody but sleep-training businesses designed to prey on our vulnerabilities.
So instead you say: “I feel ya, hang in there!”
Alla Zaykova is a communications professional, a working mum and a storyteller with a newfound passion – gentle parenting. She lives in Wellington, New Zealand, with her husband and daughter. You can read more from Alla over at her website Midnight Mommy Stories.
