Sleepless

Tess is nearing her 10 month birthday, and she still doesn't sleep. She frequently wakes during the night, and forget about napping. Today, she fell asleep on the way to Rite Aid. The three minute trip to Rite Aid. She woke up as soon as the car stopped. That was her one and only nap of the day. She used to sleep. She used to sleep ALL night and take naps. She just hasn't slept in a few months...that's all.

Any mother can tell you that when you mention your little one doesn't sleep, people are always FULL of advice. "Give her a bottle." "Put cereal in the bottle." "Have a routine." "Rock her to sleep." "Don't ever rock her to sleep." "Let them cry it out." "Co-sleep."

Do you ever just want to slap those well meaning people? I confess, I used to be one of them. Crap, I probably still am on some "mothering" subjects. Today, however, I declare that every child is different. There is no one parenting style that works for everybody. This isn't because some of us are lazier than others. I've had 4 babies. Three responded to "my system" perfectly. One hasn't responded to ANY system as of yet. Trust me, I've tried it. It didn't work. The next time you run into a sleep deprived mommy--offer coffee, not advice!