I’ll admit it. My children sleep in my room with me, and they alternate on who “gets to sleep with mommy.” I feel like a celebrity really as I hear them argue over whom gets to cuddle with me at night. I have always had my children either near my bed or in it with me. But as they get older, I have begun to think, “should I let my children sleep in my bed?”
After doing much research, I found that this sleeping arrangement is common. The Natural Child Project website recorded that “cosleeping is an unquestioned practice” and that in much of southern Europe, Asia, Africa and Central and South America, it is routine for mothers and babies to share sleep. The site sincerely expressed that “in many cultures, co-sleeping is the norm until children are weaned, and some continue long after weaning.”
So, I ask myself…when is it “time”? I have a 9-year-old daughter and another little one who just turned 5-years-old. Her father thinks I’m insane to let her still sleep in my bed, but in my opinion, I see nothing wrong with it. Both my children are highly independent, and they also don’t have a problem when staying the night somewhere without me. Either way, in my bed or not, they are sisters and they will grow accustomed to sleeping with each other in a room.
Some folks would argue that it’s more for my comfort and not theirs, and I have opinions on that as well. I do benefit from them sleeping near or with me. I feel safe and secure knowing they are nearby. I also truly enjoy cuddling them and singing to them as I tickle their arms gently before bed. There is nothing more precious than a little hand nestling close to your cheek. The negative side to this is they are wild sleepers and I’ve been known to be elbowed in the face from time to time or wake up with no blankets in the middle of the night.
What many people also don’t know about me is that I went through a nasty custody battle, and for a while, I didn’t have my children at all times. I cherish every moment with them and they do as well. I can only see this being a huge issue when I decide to share a bed with someone other than my children, and we want privacy. At that point, my children will be older and will have each other still to share a room with, so that they will still most likely feel secure.
One thought on “Should I Let My Children Sleep in My Bed?”
What an interesting read. I’ve had this discussion with my significant other recently and we agree that having your children sleep with you on the bed is not good ONLY when trying to have privacy between us. Sometimes it works having them sleep on their own bed lol most times one of them will sneak in to bed with us or we end up in bed together like packed sardines. I believe it all depends I love to cuddle with my children often so they can feel loved awww. And growing up it was the same, sometimes I slept with my grandma in bed sometimes not. Thanks for this awesome post!