Tuesday, February 19, 2013

No Pressure

Friends of ours are going to have their first baby this summer. They are highly educated, planning types. I was at their house recently and they have a copy of my favorite sleep book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I haven't looked at the book in years and the new copy is much thicker than I remember. As I looked at the book, I didn't see how it could be helpful before the baby arrived so I was perusing some of the chapters.

In the introduction, I found this in a box in bold text:

IF YOUR CHILD DOES NOT LEARN TO SLEEP WELL, HE MAY BECOME AN INCURABLE ADULT INSOMNIAC, CHRONICALLY DISABLED FROM SLEEPINESS AND DEPENDENT ON SLEEPING PILLS.

It wasn't an ALL CAPS but it might as well have been.

I often wonder why I put so much pressure on myself to make the "right' decisions regarding my children. It's not an illusion that there is a lot of pressure "out there." I read this book, and I do not remember this passage because I am sure I took it seriously. Now I think, whatever. Sure, in extreme cases, this may be true but doubtful. If you're reading that book, you are likely doing the best you can and whatever you feel is in the best interest of your child.

So much of this pressure I feel is simply from people trying to sell me their expertise. Now, if I can just ignore them.


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