DianaDo you let your kids sleep with you?
May 29th 2008 22:57
Last night I lay watching my son sleep restlessly next to me as his temperature soared into the high range. Pale, sweaty, heating up the frozen flannel I had placed on his forehead he was sick sick sick. Thank God for the modern invention of panadol.
But this morning his temp is down and as I talk to you he is up and playing on his nintendo while Boots lies entwined against him.
I couldn't help reflect, as I lay dozing in the night, on the fact that, sick or not, Michael spends his nights in my room regardless.
How many other parents have their children in with them somehow at night?
Drifting down past the bedroom furnishing shops in Richmond the other night I saw exquisitely decked out set-ups for kids room: beautiful sweet soft furnishings for girls, gorgeous ruched satin, frilled pink and white beauties enough to make you swoon. Boys had manly blue and white on offer, with car, trucks or trains embellishing anything that could be embellished.
How many parents have got these fabulous rooms at home for their kids, only to have them barely used as their kids want to be in with them?
I thought of my son's room at home, all nicely done for him, and yet he prefers to sleep down on the floor on a made-up bed in his parents room and has done all year.
Ok Ok, that is bad I know. Bad bad bad parenting. Naughty. Bad for the kid. Bad for the parents.
But he is happier that way. Not so worried at night and just, well, happier. I reckon he is just going through a needy stage and will soon ease off and go back to his own bed.
In fact, chatting to other mums it seems 9 can be an anxious stage for little boys: three of them told me stories of their sons being anxious and uptight about homework, school or music practice.
So, when he is sick or when he is well Michael is nestled in close to his mum, usually with the dog naughtily concealed under the big soft bed-spread until I tug her out at 10pm.
Childhood is fleeting. Childrens worries are all-consuming for them. and I am a soft soft touch.
Do you have your kids in with you?
But this morning his temp is down and as I talk to you he is up and playing on his nintendo while Boots lies entwined against him.
I couldn't help reflect, as I lay dozing in the night, on the fact that, sick or not, Michael spends his nights in my room regardless.
How many other parents have their children in with them somehow at night?
Drifting down past the bedroom furnishing shops in Richmond the other night I saw exquisitely decked out set-ups for kids room: beautiful sweet soft furnishings for girls, gorgeous ruched satin, frilled pink and white beauties enough to make you swoon. Boys had manly blue and white on offer, with car, trucks or trains embellishing anything that could be embellished.
How many parents have got these fabulous rooms at home for their kids, only to have them barely used as their kids want to be in with them?
I thought of my son's room at home, all nicely done for him, and yet he prefers to sleep down on the floor on a made-up bed in his parents room and has done all year.
Ok Ok, that is bad I know. Bad bad bad parenting. Naughty. Bad for the kid. Bad for the parents.
But he is happier that way. Not so worried at night and just, well, happier. I reckon he is just going through a needy stage and will soon ease off and go back to his own bed.
In fact, chatting to other mums it seems 9 can be an anxious stage for little boys: three of them told me stories of their sons being anxious and uptight about homework, school or music practice.
So, when he is sick or when he is well Michael is nestled in close to his mum, usually with the dog naughtily concealed under the big soft bed-spread until I tug her out at 10pm.
Childhood is fleeting. Childrens worries are all-consuming for them. and I am a soft soft touch.
Do you have your kids in with you?
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