Comments on: Waking Us Up At Night http://www.theonlymanofthehouse.com/2007/05/24/waking-us-up-at-night/ Tue, 24 May 2011 17:41:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Grandpa Jim http://www.theonlymanofthehouse.com/2007/05/24/waking-us-up-at-night/comment-page-1/#comment-2224 Grandpa Jim Thu, 24 May 2007 20:43:03 +0000 http://www.okcreative.com/blog/manofthehouse/?p=102#comment-2224 Chris, My youngest had a period when she was about 5-6 when she would come downstairs int he middle of the night and stand next to our bed until one of us noticed a shadowy figure by the bed and about had the Big One. So then she started standing there poking her mother until she woke up. "Bother your dad!" my wife told her. So she would stand next to my side of the bed and poke me. I would pull back the covers and let her in and ask what was wrong and she would tell me it was a bad dream. Shew would be with me for 15 minutes and then I would tell her to go back to bed and she would cheefully do so and go back to sleep. My wife asked me why I didn't tell her to stop doing that. I told her that my daugher was 6, that she was getting older so fast, that there was nothing in the world that I loved more than holding her in my arms and that for those 15 minutes with her snuggled up to me I was so happy - and that when she stopped doing this I was never going to be able to cuddle her again because she would be too old and would consider that baby stuff. She eventually stopped without any parental discipline and I was right. While I get hugs even though she is 26 now, I never really got to snuggle with her again. Don't look at this as an imposition or as something to be cured unless Quinn develops other indicia of emotional issues. Look at it as a wonderful gift. Your beautiful little girl knows that in all this world - which is very big for a 5 year old - there is one place that she is completely safe and that is in the arms of her mother and father. Every time she shows up she is reminding you that you and your wife have taught her that you love her without question and will protect her from her worries, fears, and scares. Hold her close, kiss her forehead, tell her you love her and that she is safe and give thanks that you have those moments where that warm little body is inside the circle of your arms and you CAN protect her from all those things. Drat! I'm going to get all mushy now just remembering Kerry snuggled up to mew. Grandpa Jim Chris,

My youngest had a period when she was about 5-6 when she would come downstairs int he middle of the night and stand next to our bed until one of us noticed a shadowy figure by the bed and about had the Big One. So then she started standing there poking her mother until she woke up. “Bother your dad!” my wife told her. So she would stand next to my side of the bed and poke me. I would pull back the covers and let her in and ask what was wrong and she would tell me it was a bad dream. Shew would be with me for 15 minutes and then I would tell her to go back to bed and she would cheefully do so and go back to sleep.

My wife asked me why I didn’t tell her to stop doing that. I told her that my daugher was 6, that she was getting older so fast, that there was nothing in the world that I loved more than holding her in my arms and that for those 15 minutes with her snuggled up to me I was so happy – and that when she stopped doing this I was never going to be able to cuddle her again because she would be too old and would consider that baby stuff.

She eventually stopped without any parental discipline and I was right. While I get hugs even though she is 26 now, I never really got to snuggle with her again.

Don’t look at this as an imposition or as something to be cured unless Quinn develops other indicia of emotional issues. Look at it as a wonderful gift. Your beautiful little girl knows that in all this world – which is very big for a 5 year old – there is one place that she is completely safe and that is in the arms of her mother and father. Every time she shows up she is reminding you that you and your wife have taught her that you love her without question and will protect her from her worries, fears, and scares.
Hold her close, kiss her forehead, tell her you love her and that she is safe and give thanks that you have those moments where that warm little body is inside the circle of your arms and you CAN protect her from all those things.

Drat! I’m going to get all mushy now just remembering Kerry snuggled up to mew.

Grandpa Jim

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