It’s true that you lose a considerable amount of perspective when you’re pinned down in the foxhole of daily parenting. The days blur together and the nights are tension-filled vigils while you wait for the dreaded middle of the night cry.
Our two year old has been waking up with regularity between one and two A.M. which has interrupted my sleep schedule and deprived me of restful sleep. Compounding the sleep loss is his morning wake up time of five am (my wife bore the brunt of that).
Over the last week, we have changed strategies and fully adopted co-sleeping. Now, bedtime has slipped to a very fluid eightish o’clock, and there’s been some frustration around bedtime, but the middle of the night wake up has vanished, and most mornings are starting after six. For the first time in months my wife and I are sleeping for at least seven hours in a row on a regular basis. I hope it lasts, because it’s a fantastic feeling.
There are certainly personal space and privacy issues to contend with when you start co-sleeping. Losing the ability to retreat to your bedroom for romance or to just read quietly is frustrating, but I have to remember that I have the energy to complain because I’m well-rested.