KDUNK

Your Dad and I have very different styles of putting you to bed.

This can sometimes cause a few fights – as you may have noticed – but nothing to worry about. If you didn’t know by now your parents are very stubborn people. Wait – why am I telling you this? You are the same way.

DAD’S STYLE: Dad’s style of putting you to bed is loud and happy. He likes the lights on, to sing songs to you, read you a book, talk to you, cheer, laugh, grab your little arms and put them over your head, play games, smile at you during a swaddle, put you down to bed and tap his hand on you. Often right before you are asleep he leaves the room and you start to fuss – I try to act cool and casual reading a magazine but instead I am like one of those little round bombs you see in a cartoon with a wire and a spark slowly making its way up for the big explosion. So…mid-fuss Dad leaves the nursery, munches on a snack in the kitchen (spark now climbing up wire at rapid speed) and leisurely makes his way back to your nursery where I am waiting outside with crazy eyes saying, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING???!!! SHE IS ABOUT TO FREAK OUT?! YOU NEED TO GET IN THERE!” to which he ignores me and saunters his way back in where he talks to you until you are quiet again. You fall asleep.

MOM’S STYLE: Mom’s style of putting you to bed is quiet. Lights dim if not off. Some white noise. Using a quiet tone of voice while you nurse I thank you for a great day and recap all the fun things we did together. I stroke your hair with a tiny white hairbrush. I massage your shoulders and feet. I put nice smelling cream on your skin. And just as I think I have you calm enough to put down sometimes Dad will come in and say something explosive like,

“YOU GONNA EAT THOSE LEFTOVER SPRING ROLLS IN THE FRIDGE OR CAN I EAT THEM?”

and I will look up deflated and think, “Are you kidding me right now???” but instead I quietly nod as if to say YES YOU CAN HAVE THE MO’FO SPRING ROLLS and I go back to calming you – wrap you in a tight swaddle, cuddle you until your eyes close and gingerly put you into bed with some gentle rocking. I shut off the light. You fall asleep.

There is no right or wrong in either of these methods. In fact we agree on the most important thing which is how much we love you. Often minutes after you are asleep one of us is bound to say, “Lets wake her up…”

Why? Because we already miss you.