emikatj

Ever since I first heard about iPods I wanted one. They could hold thousands of songs, and play solitaire. What more could you ask for? My days of hanging out in front of the stereo and playing solitaire with actual cards were over. I could listen to my music on my way to school or in my room - no one could tell me that’s not what they wanted to listen to. I guy in my class had one and I was so jealous. By grade 10 (2004), I had enough money saved up to buy a 20GB black and white fourth generation iPod. It cost $400. I knew it was worth it. I loved the packaging. The square box, that opened in half. The smell of new electronics. That was the day I stopped listening to the radio. I took my music everywhere, and that iPod was with me for 4 years.

Thanks Steve Jobs, for making my dreams of music and solitaire in one handy device come true. Thanks for making laptops look good.

Sent from my MacBook

This semester I’m taking developmental psychology. I thought it would be a fun and easy option and helpful to me as a babysitter and future mom. My prof is a bit old-school which I know I’m going to have a problem with. 

The very first day we were talking about how the sociocultural context in which a child is raised has an effect on the child. His example was about cosleeping. The slide read, “In many countries, mothers and children sleep together for the first several years of the child’s life, but in the U.S. infants usually sleep separately from their parents soon after birth. The U.S. culture values independence and self-reliance, whereas the Mayan culture values interdependence.”

That is fine. I agree with that. Maybe not the “usually” or “soon” but whatever. After he read that he asked the class why cosleeping is not recommended and so many people knew the answer, “Because you could roll over onto your baby!” Laughs all around, “Those silly cosleepers! They’re all going to suffocate their babies! Don’t they see how dangerous it is?” When I ranted about this on Twitter, @tea4tamara replied, “Seriously? I know I’m always rolling over my husband. And my cat. And off the bed.”

So, while “you might roll onto your baby” sounds like a reasonable objection to cosleeping, it’s not. PhD in Parenting has an excellent post on the rules you must follow to cosleep safely, some of which are making sure you’re not too exhausted, and staying sober. The only cosleeping deaths I’ve heard of involve an intoxicated mom.

Unfortunately, since cosleeping is frowned-upon in the US and Canada, it’s hard for parents to find out how to do it safely when they’ve come to the realization that it’s the only way anyone’s going to get any sleep. I’m so lucky to be a part of an amazing on-line community that recognizes the importance of doing what you feel is right in the safest way possible. There is no such thing as taboo because there is always someone there willing to support you and give you guidance.

Before I got involved in the Twitter Mom community, I thought cosleeping was ridiculous. How would you get any sleep? How would you get them out of your room when they were too old? How would you ever be able to conceive another child? Don’t they need to get used to sleeping on their own? But I have been enlightened! And I hope you can enlighten others too :)