Co-slept with both my girls, but when I was pregnant with no2 I thought it would be a good idea to try my then 4 year old in her own bed, as I couldnt imagine where we would all fit if there were '4 in the bed'. 3 nights of total trauma but the thing that really convinced me was the 4 year old saying "But you & dad sleep together & Im only a kid & how come Im the only one who has to sleep alone?" Really couldnt argue with the social justice aspects of that logic! Ended up with a queen bed flanked by 2 singles - a true 4 person bed - I was so thankful I had built the room big enough to accomodate, but sadly many houses just dont have the bedroom space to allow this kind of thing. They are now nearly 10 & 14 years old, there is no dad in the bed anymore, & now they take it in turns to sleep with me (& still argue about who's turn it is). As in birth, there seems to be a lot of fear around co-sleeping, from smothering the baby to losing sleep &/or privacy. The whole thinking around 'spoiling the baby' is not logic-based, it seems to me to be based on the fact that we as a culture want our children to 'grow up' as quickly as possible, so lets start teaching them independence from day 1. Load of bollocks I reckon! Lets hope those wonderful Vietnamese women dont start adopting the habits of western culture thinking that it will all be better if they do..... cheers Jennifairy
> Having worked in Vietnam for 8 months - I asked some of > the women how long before the baby sleeps in his own bed > in Vietnam? They said, usually by 5 years when they go > to school but often not until about 8!!!!!! > > Western culture is warped on this subject. Hey I realise > co-sleeping has its downsides too but it's a matter of > meeting everyone's needs the best way you can. > > Helen > Mother of a 9 year old who still sleeps in our room in a > bed next to ours. -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
