My feed reader has been so quiet today that I questioned its’ functioning today. Let’s see if I can say something that causes a reaction from anyone.
I allow my children to sleep in our bed. In fact, when they are infants, they are almost always in bed with us. This co-sleeping annoys the grandparents greatly. I will also nurse, rock, walk and do anything EXCEPT make my babies cry themselves to sleep. All of the children except Evan are perfectly well-adjusted children who can get to sleep on their own, so I know that they somehow learn to sleep on their own without being forced to scream, cry and get hysterical. Not making babies ‘cry it out’ is another thing that seems to annoy grandparents.
My niece is sometimes forced to cry it out at work, but they’ve finally started realizing that that’s not even the easiest way. It’s horrible listening to her wail and wail for 15 or 20 minutes before they give up. And the look of sheer terror on her face. That just can’t be the way to do it.
I let mine cry some but not for extended periods of time. It works for me and you do what works for you.
Our oldest (who is soon to be 17) and our youngest (who is 9) have slept with us. And the 9 year old is still in our bed more times than not. Our middle child (who is 11) never did and has no problems with falling asleep. Depends on the kid.