going to sleep

last night it took about fifteen minutes for me to put Brielle down to sleep, or help her get there rather. will was impressed with this short amount of time, and we chuckled a little over how we used to put the boys down for bedtimes & naps. we just put them in their cribs with a blanket and pacifier and they went to sleep. i don't remember if they cried, but they might have sometimes. i'm sure that we didn't go to extra measure to ensure their security though. we looked at parenting different then. we used to scoff at parents who went through all of that trouble, and we surely thought that we were doing a good job and weren't letting out kids 'get one over on us.' but it's not all about that! it's about meeting a child's needs and taking the time to parent them in a nurturing, loving way! i was telling will that though it may take longer to put her to sleep, it was during those times that some of the most special moments happened. like yesterday, i laid on the bed with her for her first nap and hummed her to sleep. i nursed her to sleep just a while ago. then last night she used both of her hands to play with my face and ears and softly made noises that hummed herself to sleep. we both agreed that it was worth having that one-on-one time and that those moments were priceless and so special. that is why sometimes i am so amazed at this gap between our children and how it has affected how we parent and what is most important. it also draws us to our older boys and allows us to evaluate their needs for this stage in their lives. parenting is such a joy, such a blessing. good thing to find that out before our children have moved on.