Saturday, April 10, 2010

Think about it...

Parenting magazines are a croc. Sure you can find some fun crafts to do, I suppose. And who doesn't need a good recipe for Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas? But the advice must be taken with a grain of salt, or rather, as is my preference, not at all. Experts on child development offer great ways, for example, to get your child to sleep alone, in their own bed, in the dark, surrounded by monsters. I wonder if it isn't worth asking, "why would I want to put my child through that?" I have no doubt I could train my kids to not bother me when they are scared, but I won't. It is easy for me to say that their fears are ridiculous and that they should ignore them. It is also wrong. Bad things can, and do, happen. Am I not lying to my kid when I promise her that they won't? Won't she realize that? The answer is yes and that is how you train your kid not to bother you when she is scared. You do it by giving her every reason to believe that you are not to be trusted with her fears.

I understand that my daughter needs to learn how to deal with, and overcome, fear. I am skeptical that it needs to happen before she is two years old, though. Plus, and here is the selfish part, it is the best feeling there is when your kid climbs into bed in the middle of the night, nudges in close to you and falls blissfully to sleep.

2 comments:

  1. Awesome. I totally agree. My son was never a big one to climb in bed with me, but whenever he does, I let him in. Even the knees to the ribs are ok!. :)

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  2. My daughter slept with me until she was 14. She is 23 now, and still hates being home alone. Wussy.

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