Helpful Parenting Observation
Helpful parenting observation for those considering multiple children spaced relatively close together:
First child:
Child cries out in the night. Seemingly a nightmare. Inconsolable crying persists even with comforting.
Mom: There, there my precious little one! You're safe! I've got you! It's okay!
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dad (who is mashed in along with mom and the child): Did you hear that? Mama's got you! And daddy's here too! You're okay! We're here!
(repeat for 5 - 90 minutes until child calms back into sleep)
First and Second Child now:
Child (either one) cries out in the night. Seemingly a nightmare. Inconsolable crying persists even with comforting.
Mom: It's okay! Mama's got you! Shhhhhhhhhh!!
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dad (whispering): I'll go make sure the other one is okay.
Mom: Just be quiet about it! I'm trying to keep this one from waking the other!!
First, Second and Third Child now:
Child (any one - you really don't care anymore) cries out in the night. Seemingly a nightmare. Inconsolable crying persists even with comforting.
Mom: *sigh* I got it.
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dad (wandering into room, speaking in normal tone of voice): Everything okay?
Mom (speaking in normal, if a tad bored tone of voice): Yeah. Nightmare. Say, I forgot to put away some of the groceries. There were some strawberries that need to go in the fridge.
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dad (normal tone of voice, as if unable to even hear amazingly loud screams): Kay. Say, did you want to watch that movie we rented tonight?
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mom (equally normal tone of voice, similarly unable to hear amazingly loud screams): Mmmmm... I don't think so. I Tivo'd another show I wanted to watch tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dad: Kay. I'll go put away the strawberries.
And that's pretty much the way that goes. I'll explain how putting them to bed changes with more kids in a future post.
First child:
Child cries out in the night. Seemingly a nightmare. Inconsolable crying persists even with comforting.
Mom: There, there my precious little one! You're safe! I've got you! It's okay!
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dad (who is mashed in along with mom and the child): Did you hear that? Mama's got you! And daddy's here too! You're okay! We're here!
(repeat for 5 - 90 minutes until child calms back into sleep)
First and Second Child now:
Child (either one) cries out in the night. Seemingly a nightmare. Inconsolable crying persists even with comforting.
Mom: It's okay! Mama's got you! Shhhhhhhhhh!!
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dad (whispering): I'll go make sure the other one is okay.
Mom: Just be quiet about it! I'm trying to keep this one from waking the other!!
First, Second and Third Child now:
Child (any one - you really don't care anymore) cries out in the night. Seemingly a nightmare. Inconsolable crying persists even with comforting.
Mom: *sigh* I got it.
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dad (wandering into room, speaking in normal tone of voice): Everything okay?
Mom (speaking in normal, if a tad bored tone of voice): Yeah. Nightmare. Say, I forgot to put away some of the groceries. There were some strawberries that need to go in the fridge.
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dad (normal tone of voice, as if unable to even hear amazingly loud screams): Kay. Say, did you want to watch that movie we rented tonight?
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mom (equally normal tone of voice, similarly unable to hear amazingly loud screams): Mmmmm... I don't think so. I Tivo'd another show I wanted to watch tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
Child: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dad: Kay. I'll go put away the strawberries.
And that's pretty much the way that goes. I'll explain how putting them to bed changes with more kids in a future post.
Posted by Doug Williams on
Tuesday February 28, 2006 at 11:10pm
That's exactly how it works. Though much of it happens during waking hours at my house, which means that one of these days we're going to ignore crying for an hour before we go investigate and find that someone managed to sever an arm. But this is the 21st century; that sort of thing can just be sewed right back on.
After all, I have GREAT insurance benefits at work!
Also, I have been told that parents have finely tuned skills which separate the "Timmy hit me" scream from "My arm's in the blender" scream. I've seen it happen. I'll be sitting with breeders as they calmly ignore 4 or 5 screaming children and then suddenly thay all get up at once. It's amazing to watch.
One month to go! This evening, I attended the breastfeeding class with my wife. Yikes.