I am competitive. I love to win. This rule applies to everything in my life. I like to win at games, at sports, at tests, at all things. It's just one of the million things that makes me like my Dad.
Today I won at something else; the battle of the will. Ainsley is a great sleeper. She may cry for a minute when you put her down but she will stop quickly and go to sleep. Today she decided to try me. She cried for over an hour. Part of the time she would cry softly. Part of the time she would scream. The last 10 minutes of it she screamed.
I was determined to not let her win. I probably shouldn't have let her cry that long. It probably bordered on me being a bad parent. But I had to win. I put my feet in the ground and just let her cry. She finally fell asleep an hour later. I won. I am not sure how I feel about my victory.
What is the longest you have let your child cry?
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an hour too! it was hard we don't recommend it. Cameron is not a born sleeper but she has never fallen asleep if she starts crying like that. She would have gone longer than the hour if we let her and that is way too much for us. I know other parents that have let their kids cry it out but Joe and I don't like it. IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU A BAD PARENT! It is a preference! Hope all is well!
ReplyDeleteI agree about it being a preference. I have actually let Aliha cry for longer than that. I think it was almost two hours once, and it killed me for every minute. I remember going into my room and crying, but it was a decision that Eric and I had made together - and in the end it worked.
ReplyDeleteAliha is smart and very willed, and every day she tries to wear us down, but by putting our foot down with things like this it keeps a good healthy family balance. Now that she's older the testing us is still there, and we continue to show her we are stronger (even if it is hard on us). Yet she is still a well behaved little girl and we constantly get compliments about it from others, so I think we have to be doing something right. :)
So way to go, hun, but if she is like *you* be ready for a (wonderful) lifetime of these battles. ;)
My boys didn't fight sleep too much. But I remember an agonizing 25 minutes or so that Jonathan cried. I cried with him, right outside of his door. But, he is the best sleeper! Worth it, yes. Hard, most definitely. The silver lining? She won't remember at all!
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