Well, the concept of co-sleeping finally hits the mainstream media.
My personal view of such things is that you do what is right for your family, and I'll do what is right for mine (which happens to be co-sleeping, at least with the Jenklett). I am not a zealot - other people's parenting decisions are their business and only they will know what works for their particular situation.
I do think that the provision and accessibility of accurate information and support upon which to base those decisions is incredibly important. I also reserve the right to get a little bit irritated if you tell me or anybody else that what we are doing is dangerous, unhealthy or wrong when there's very good evidence to the contrary - if common sense wasn't sufficient to arrive at a sensible conclusion.
Gina Ford and Annette Mountford appear to demonstrate very little common sense, but of course they know better than us what is for our own good:
Gina says:
“Bed sharing . . . more often than not ends up with parents sleeping in separate rooms and exhausted mothers, a situation that “puts enormous pressure on the family as a whole”.
As though parents (and mothers in particular) are a particularly stupid breed, incapable of deciding whether co-sleeping is a good or bad idea for their family.
For us - and for many other families - co-sleeping was the only way of ensuring we all got a decent night's sleep - which is why we did it. For other people, the reverse may very well be true - in which case, why on earth would they choose to spend their precious nights in such a miserable manner? Either way, the question that immediately springs to mind is: what is the point of Gina Ford?
Annette says:
“Parents need their space,” she said. “There are definite benefits from encouraging children into their own sleep routine in their own space.”
Do you think that "space" might be a euphemism for sex? Because to be honest, Annette, if you're not getting any sleep due to a crying baby who simply cannot handle "their own sleep routine in their own space" then any kind of intimacy will be at the bottom of your priority list, superceded by concerns such as "how to stop yourself from throwing your hysterical child out of the window at 2am, when you're in a very, very dark place and everyone else is sound asleep."
And is she so unimaginative as to think that people can only have sex in a bed, at bedtime? Or am I the odd one out?!
Sigh. My only advice to anyone is to equip yourself with the facts, make your own decisions, and ignore anyone who makes you feel bad - including all so-called experts who ignore the facts. It's the only way to get rid of them.
