Daughter sleeps, and Dad does too
Today I have the pleasure of telling you that reporter Joe Burris, who wrote last week about the perils of mall play spaces, will be an even more frequent regular on Guest Dad day. He's taking on a new role reporting on family life, too, so please send him story tips and ideas.
Joe has a parenting success to tell you about -- his daughter is finally sleeping through the night.
That wouldn't be a big deal, except that she's 3. Years old, not months.
Here's his story:
When I look back on my accomplishments for this year, one will immediately come to mind, likely as my proudest: My wife Mpho and I finally got our 3-year-old daughter Onalenna to sleep through the night after countless failed attempts.
I cannot begin to convey what a feat this is.
For nearly two and a half years, our daughter did not sleep longer than four hours overnight. No matter what time we put her to bed, no matter what adjustments we made to her room, to her diet, to her sleep routine, or anything else, she would wake up repeatedly, almost like clockwork.
The first awakening would usually be right after 11 p.m. Then around 1 a.m., then 3 a.m. She would finally sleep soundly around 5:30 a.m. -- or about the time my wife and I would wake up to get our day started.
Several nights, she woke up every 40 minutes or so. The source of the problem? Who knows?
Once, she told me there was a monster in her room.
"What does he look like, Sweetie?" I asked.
"She is yellow."
Then another "monster" showed up, one with a familiar name: Spiderman.
She implored me to seek and destroy Spiderman. Gladly, I said, only to discover that this Spiderman wasn't the Marvel Comics character. It was an animal on a painting she saw at her grandparent's house. In South Africa.
To say I've been walking around like a physically drained zombie for nearly three years is an understatement. And I shuddered at what the lack of sleep was doing to my daughter physically, in addition to making her cranky.
What finally worked was a regimen similar to the Ferber method: We would go through our nighttime ritual, kiss her good night, then leave the room. Then we would return five minutes later, assuring her she is not alone in the house. Then we'd leave and return 10 minutes, then 20, then 40. She ultimately began routinely situating herself in the bed for comfortable sleep, and resituating herself during the night when she awoke.
And that did it.
She occasionally has a sleepless night, but nothing like what were accustomed to.
I never knew how important a good night's rest was before the past few weeks. Now I value my sleep like priceless treasure.
