Dec 30, 2021
Jennifer has three kids, and her youngest--the 2-year-old--won’t sleep through the night. She goes to sleep with no trouble, but every night she’ll come into her parents’ room in the middle of the night and join them in their bed. Between homeschooling the boys and running a business, Jennifer and her husband need sleep, so this isn’t a sustainable practice.
Today, we talk about a potential solution for Jennifer and her husband: setting up a sleeping bag in the bedroom as a compromise. We discuss what seems to be behind this behavior and talk about the importance of clearness when setting new boundaries. We discuss the importance of letting your child know that it’s okay to feel how she feels and that you understand, as well as refraining from snuggling with or singing to her when she comes in and you need to put her back to bed.
“You can’t force your kid to fall asleep, you can’t force feed them, and you can’t force them to use the potty...They will always win, no matter what, with those three things. And so the more you understand how they’re feeling and how you can work around it to make everybody happy and make it work for everyone, the better off it’ll be.”
- Sue Groner
This week on The Parenting Mentor:
- The importance of letting your child know you understand how she’s feeling
- Why it’s okay to compromise with your child sometimes
- Being clear about boundaries
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