[ArmsOfLove]

We had a reunion for our Theatre Dept at college this last weekend and one of the things that those of us who are parents talked about was how the reality of our lives at that time prepared us for never sleeping - and how that impacted our parenting differently from those around us.

We noted that some students opted out of the more social aspect of theatre to focus on studies, and some ignored studies to participate in social aspects, but many of us just didn't sleep or eat in order to focus on both. The other parents I talked about this with all agreed that their times with infants who wouldn't sleep weren't even a big deal to them - they had no expectation of sleep.

I found this very interesting and it was a connection I hadn't really made before - but it is sometimes hard for me to really empathize with loss of sleep in parenthood. I completely relate to the frustration of having a child who sleeps poorly; I completely relate to the concerns for the sake of a child who doesn't sleep well; and I completely relate to the real challenges from sheer exhaustion and loss of sleep But I just didn't see sleep as a right and I really do think that going through what I did is why.

So I do want to say I'm sorry if I have sounded unsympathetic in anyone's threads on this issue But I also want to encourage that this is why I really believe it's about our perspective and the best way to approach the bigger issue is to work on our expectations Just like college, there is a season and then it is over. But the lessons you learn in any season can benefit you in ways you might never understand or put together. It's okay to embrace the reality of the situation you are in and get all you can out of it