When I Had One Child, I Knew it All

When I had one child, I knew it all.  When I had two, I knew even more.  But curiously, with the addition of each child, I find I actually know less and less.  Now with six, I know nothing

I used to be very critical of what I deemed to be unnecessary baby products.  "Marketing!", I would cry.  "Sloppy parenting!", one of my more self-righteous thoughts.  And so items like baby swings, jumpy seats, cupboard door locks, and especially those ridiculous crib tents were only for the weak-willed.

Right.  And then I had four under six.  Oh!  And then five under eight.  Aha!  Six under ten, and a male ten, at that.  A male ten-year-old who couldn't remember where he put his own shoes, let alone remember whether or not we had grabbed the diaper bag on our way out the door.

And so last week when we battled the two-year-old with the new-found freedom at nap and bedtimes, Lisa suggested I try their crib tent.  Oddly, while I would have rolled my eyes years ago, I said as emphatically as I could, "YES!  Bring it over TODAY!"

It's funny.  This little girl who tested us constantly, even when I diligently sat there watching her to see if she put her toe over the edge of the mattress (yes, I've read that parenting book, too) suddenly loves the boundaries that the crib tent provides.  Huh.

She cried the first nap the tent went up, but curiously that night she said, "I go sleep in the tent?"  She loves this tent.  And you know what?  The tent has caused her to cease winning.  The tent has given her and her sisters their much-needed sleep back.  The tent is a tool that we are using for this season in her life.

So again, I will say, I know nothing.