I Feel Like I’m Prepping for the Biggest Challenge of My Life

I feel like I’m prepping for the biggest challenge of my life…

…is exactly what I told my husband this morning as I asked him to help with brushing Sophie’s teeth. Which sounds like a normal request except that Sophie was having none of it.

You see, before you become a parent, you have ideas of how parenting is going to be and should be. One the biggest things I was against pre-Sophie times was bed sharing. I remember reading in forums how parents were sharing their beds with their toddlers, telling my husband how that was not okay, because the bedroom is ours. The bed is ours. It’s there for us to sleep in but more importantly, be intimate in. To love each other. No child should be there.

But then life happened. Sophie was always a good sleeper, but when she wasn’t, and we would be tired, we let her sleep with us. 

This is a pretty early picture, and it’s just one of those mornings, but soon enough, she was sleeping between us. 

We have transitioned her into her own bed now, but she does wake up in the middle of the night and comes to sleep between us. She’s three-and-a-half.

You might ask… well, if you’re into attachment parenting, you might ask what’s wrong with it. If you’re not, you might ask what’s wrong with us. 😛 Either way…. my answer is there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. She needs us, and we are there for her.

But that’s where the problem comes in. She needs us, we are there for her, but she only wants me. When I’m around, 90% of the time my husband can’t do anything with/for her. She won’t allow him brush her teeth, like this morning. Or change her. Or just be there with her. My husband is doing everything. He is a tremendous help, really truly. But Sophie doesn’t accept it. I know, it’s normal for her to be attached to her mom.

But as the birth of our second daughter is approaching, I wonder how it’s all going to be. How I will give the attention to Sophie she so desires, needs and should get, while taking care of the new baby, myself, my husband, the household… I know things fall into place. Eventually they do, and I know this struggle is not unique to me and our family. I guess I just don’t feel ready. Do we ever for the unknown though?