Revisiting the Family Bed. (And Why It Just Plain Won't Work For Us.)

Week two of our new ECFE class last week was certainly a nice surprise. I actually enjoyed it and felt like I was beginning to make some connections. (You know the old saying though, attitude is everything!)

During parent discussion time I was a little horrified to hear about one of the parent's sleeping situations at home. Her and her husband, their 4 year old, their almost 2 year old and their Great Dane, share a bed. She doesn't mind this set up but her husband is starting to get a little irritated.

Can't imagine why!

We all went around the room trying to offer our sympathies and advice and when it came time for me to talk, I explained that we don't share beds. (Remember I wrote about the family bed last year.) Everyone has their own bed, their own room and that's the way it is. Period.

Well, I should have knocked on wood that moment but because I didn't, our room has turned into some sort of three ring circus. The only child recently staying in their bed is T.

H, has again gone down the road of early rising the past several mornings. Most of which somehow end up with him in our bed a couple hours before we need to get up and J and I trying to avoid his arm punches and leg kicks.

The day of ECFE, H would not go down for a nap. After hearing him talk, sing and cry for almost two hours I decided I'd lay down with him in my bed and see if he'd calm down. I think I fell asleep before he did and two hours later we both awoke, though nothing got accomplished around the house. Oops.

Monday night after a long day at school, I was tired. J took H to put him to bed but instead of the typical silence that usually comes out of the room, I heard, "Mama" "Dada" ...for awhile. A long while.

I went into his room and for one of the first times in a long time, I melted. I hadn't really seen him all day and he was very cuddly. I decided I'd try bringing him in my bed and laying with him.

Bad idea. After he spent an hour trying to climb over me, when J came to bed he was a little more than surprised about this child in our bed.

Eventually H did return to his own bed. But just a few short hours later he was up again. And wide awake. As I climbed out of bed I noticed another child laying on the bedroom floor. Miss M. had decided that she wanted to sleep by us. The night prior to this she'd stood at the side of the bed asking if she could sleep with us, so the fact that she took it upon herself to sleep on the floor without waking anyone was fine by me. (Though still bothersome of why she doesn't want to stay in her own bed.)

With hopes that putting a dvd in for H might lull him back to sleep, I tried. J eventually said forget it and got up and ready for work slightly earlier than usual. I wasn't going to give up though.

By the time the alarm went off at 6:15, both H and M were sound asleep in my bed. But now I had to get up and get M out the door to school.

Needless to say, it was a yucky morning.

I told babysitter girl part two that H was tired but not to put him down too early. With a large amount of paid time off hours to use up before the end of the year I already had hopes of an afternoon nap. When I called home at 11, she informed me he'd already been out an hour. I rushed home, said goodbye and fell into my bed. Until 1:20pm.

I'm beginning to enjoy these said naps, but my list of things to do is certainly paying for it. Which is why this family bed thing doesn't work for us. Nobody gets enough sleep. We're cranky. We're uncomfortable.

It's not fun.

Tomorrow is week three of ECFE, and I might just have to keep my mouth shut. As soon as one says never, life has a funny way of changing on you.