So it's been three weeks since I started coaching my little man.
It hasn't been easy and I can't say we're done with the coaching but I'm really glad we stuck with it.
By "we" I mean my husband and I.
Well I did most of the coaching but Rico had to be on board.
Warning to moms who may want to sleep coach: hubby has to be on board otherwise it will be a waste of time and heartache.
Sleep coaching is not easy. But it's not hard either.
This subject, I have found, to be quite controversial.
On one hand there's the school of thought that argues that sleep coaching is necessary.
So much so that this group of folks think that sleep coaching is as important to a child's development as crawling or walking.
Then there's another group that thinks sleep coaching comes from the devil. They reckon it's abusive and ignores a child's pleas for help.
These are the two extremes and in between this spectrum is a whole array of people.
Me? I fluctuated between the two poles before and during sleep coaching Luke.
In of my entries Sleep coaching Luke: what I wished I'd known part 1 I was wallowing at the poll where I felt I had ruined my son with the coaching.
I don't feel that way anymore.
I left that entry on my blog however to show how conflicted I was during the process and to tell you that should you choose to go this route doubt might plague you.
Here's a short break down of what happened after that entry.
I spoke to my husband about how I felt and that I thought I'd crushed Luke's spirit by sleep coaching him.
My husband said: "The people who think sleep coaching is abusive and you should jump every time your kid cries are the same people who let their kids run wild. Those are the same people who cannot discipline their kids or teach them manners."
It was a pretty harsh statement and yet inside I was so grateful that he validated what I was feeling.
I'm not saying that parents who choose not to sleep coach are wrong.
I did it because I got too exhausted not doing it.
Also I didn't want to have my son depend on me to sleep. Sleep is natural. So much so that one child therapist told me that teaching my child to sleep on his own was one of the best things I could give him.
She had met many kids, especially toddlers, who just simply didn't know how to sleep.
So I continued with the coaching.
By the second week of the coaching Luke was able to fall asleep completely without any help from me.
He was back to his old cheerful self. Even that look I had missed so much in his eyes was back.
I put him down to sleep a few minutes ago. He was wide awake.
He slept without so much as a tinkle.
Am I glad my son can sleep on his own? Yes!
Was coaching fun? No.
Would I do it again? Certainly.
Do I have any guilt about taking my son through this process. Not one bit.
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DISCLAIMER: This blog is based on my opinion and should not replace advice from your health care providers and/or qualified medical practitioners.
I’m not a doctor or medical practitioner of any sort. I’m a mom.
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