The moment you realise that nights spent with a baby are about so much more than sleep is he moment you invite joy, wonder, magic, peace, and rest into your motherhood. - Tracy Gillett

Our culture is conditioned to convenience. To quick fixes. To speeding up difficult processes in life, like heartbreak or grief. To distracting ourselves. To solving problems. To taking away our kids hurts. To making others feel better...maybe making ourselves feel better, so we don't need to sit alongside the hurt and heartbreak, so we can be the hero who saved the day.
I get it. I'm conditioned that way too. I'm a helper - I try to make everything ok for everyone in my life and I've only recently realised that's often not healthy. Because there is purpose in the journey and when we focus on the destination we miss out on the growth the universe has in store for us. Nighttime parenting is all about growth - growing as a parent, expanding your patience, strengthening your resilience, finding the ability to be present, coming back to your breath, committing to being...and not doing.
In those wee small hours of the morning when your baby, your toddler or your four-year-old needs you...they need you. It's that simple. And as my friend Carly from @beyond_sleep_training_project reminds us, it's that hard.
Parenting is hard. This is not about being a martyr - this is about being a realist. And the moment we realise that nighttime - for babies and new parents - is about so much more than sleep is the moment we free ourselves of unrealistic expectations and lean into the magic of connection, affection, bonding, gratitude, wonder and peace. That's the moment falling back to sleep alongside our babies just got a whole lot easier. That's the moment we stop checking the clock. That's the moment we stop comparing. And that's the moment we start to get more rest as we accept reality and look for realistic ways to care for ourselves and ask for support. When we can do this en masse things start to shift. And in years to come, what you'll remember about those wakeups is the smell of your baby, the sweet whisper of your toddler, and the rhythm of your two hearts beating together as one. - Raised Good