I sleep better when my husband is beside me.
The comfort of the idea of someone who would protect me eases my mind even if in practice he sleeps so soundly he wouldn’t hear any of those scary things that go bump in the night.
But when he’s not here and I’m sleeping alone, I hear every noise multiplied and let my fears run wild.
When he’s here I sleep the sleep of the loved. Occasionally tucking my head into his side and sighing contentedly.
There’s something about being alone at night in the dark that feels more lonely and isolating than in the daytime.
So when one of my boys makes his way to our bedroom floor in the middle of the night, I don’t insist they go back to their own beds.
I don’t scoop them up and carry them back.
I let them be, watching as they snuggle in with a smile on their faces.
Sometimes I even gesture for one to come cuddle in the bed with us, tucking a small body next to mine, letting him feel that comfort of protection.
Soon enough, they’ll scoff at the idea of needing Mom and Dad. And sometimes in the daylight they already do, insisting there’s so much they can do on their own.
But at night, when even adults take comfort in not being alone, they have nothing to prove.
So they can snuggle in with us… and sometimes they don’t need us because they find each other instead.
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That is beautiful, and I feel the same way about my hubby. As for the kids, mine are old enough now that they no longer want to come in and snuggle in the middle of the night. I kinda miss that!
So true…they are only little for so long 🙂
Ah yes. The sleep of the loved. That’s perfect.
You are so right about the noise factor when the husband is not around. And you are spot on about the kids too. Even tho they would never admit it, they will always need us. 🙂
Melting over here at that sweet photo. Though I’m not trying to rush time faster than it’s already going, I’m looking forward to our little one being big enough to come snuggle in bed. 🙂
“The sleep of the loved” I like the way that sounds.
I sleep better when John is home too…and while I’d like Jacob to vacate my bed for good…I also know I’ll miss him when he’s gone.
XO
Oh my heart! This is so precious. I’m with you – my girls are welcome to climb in with Mom and Dad. I never thought I’d be “that” mom but it’s funny how real-life parenting changes your convictions about things you thought you’d never do before you had children. They grow so fast. We are their safe place. And they are mine… when my husband is out of town, we have a sleepover in Mom’s bed. 🙂
I love this… I too always embrace my kiddos in the middle of the night when they enter my room exhausted and scared from a nightmare or feeling ill. These are the moments that matter. The moments when motherhood basks in the love of our children’s needs. I want to always be their refuge, their safe place…
I’m the same way with my husband but not with the kids. I have terrible insomnia and the kids kick and move too much in their sleep for me to actually sleep with them in my bed. We let our girls share a bed on weekends when they ask. It’s so cute hearing them giggle into the night. But I love seeing them later all snuggled up together.
Both my boys are unashamedly still in bed with us. I’m just not ready yet!
I let my boys get in with me too. It’s not very restful but I know I’ll miss it when it stops.
{Kathy} Cuddling is an art. And definitely one that we teach to our kids. Finding your children snuggling together is one of the most joyous visions as a mom. I never refuse a “stowaway” to our bed either.
I sleep better when I am not alone too. My girls slept together by choice until a few years ago, and now have bunk beds. The twins still sleep in the same bed.