The very idea of the family bed is enough to keep guest blogger Samara Tilkens Postuma up all night…

This is my 10-month-old son’s bed.

This is my almost 6-year-old stepdaughter’s bed.

This is my 8-year-old stepson’s bed. Interesting, huh? Not only do they have their own beds, they sleep in them too.

As the New York Times revealed last week, a lot of people are doing the whole “family bed” thang. What’s the deal?

I’ve been there at 3am when your child will not go back to sleep and all you can think about is sleep. And I’ve dragged a baby into my bed, or crawled into my 5-year-old’s bed to help her fall asleep. Been there, done that.

But what I haven’t done, is turn the master bedroom into the family bedroom. I guess I like my space a little too much.

Little arms and elbows tend to cramp my style.

And diapers and luxury bedding just do not mix.

Call me crazy, but there are nights when having a baby in a bassinet was too close for comfort. Every little turn or sigh makes you jump out of bed.

Is it because some parents don’t want to say no? And what does it mean for our kids later? My biggest question is: what does it mean for our marriages?

When you’ve got little kids, the bedroom doesn’t have a whole lot of fireworks going on anyway…but when you’ve got kids in bed with you, there are No. Fireworks. Period.

My bed is MY bed and that’s final.

Note: Strib writer Kay Miller is doing a story on co-sleeping and would love to hear your stories - pros and cons on the issues. Do you have a child who displaces your spouse every night? Or has co-sleeping with your babies and kids been the perfect way to bond? Write to Kay Miller at kmiller@startribune.com or call (612) 673-4393. Please include phone numbers.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 8th, 2007 at 9:29 pm and is filed under Guest Bloggers, Main, Parenting, Rants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.