Daddy can soothe Baby to sleep as well as Mommy.
This was previously posted on Dan Griffin’s blog.
I woke up to her crying and instinctively looked at the clock: 3:10 a.m. The usual plan? Let her come upstairs and get into bed with us.
But I had been gone for a week and Nancy had been carrying the weight that whole time which usually means multiple nights of interrupted sleep. Somehow, despite being half asleep myself, I had an idea! I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs so that Grace was not awake too long and before she had decided that she needed to come upstairs. As I came down the stairs I saw her standing in the doorway still somewhat in a daze as her radar searched for Mommy. I scooped her up as quickly as I could, and put her back in bed.
She immediately sat up as if to say, “One, why are you here and two, you better take me upstairs sucka!” Undeterred, I gently laid her back down in bed and laid down with her not sure how she would respond to “Daddy” as opposed to “Mommy.” She laid her head down and immediately went back to sleep. I lie down next to her. She snuggled her head against my side and threw her arm across my stomach. I slowly drifted to sleep wondering if life could get any better.
It is easy for us dads to feel as though we are second-fiddle to Mom. But sometimes, sometimes, it might just be because we volunteer for the position. It never hurts just to jump up!
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Image courtesy of the author