:: Greetings from Doubtville, USA! ::
Population: Every parent in America… err, the entire world.
I write this as my daughter naps on the floor next to her Minnie Mouse bed. The same Minnie Mouse bed that she loved just a mere two weeks ago but now despises. I write this after a 30-minute battle which involved tears and running out of her room multiple times before she finally fell asleep after I laid down next to her (also on the floor).
Here we are again… smack dab in the middle of Doubtville. Denny and I visit here often so we should be familiar with all the uncertainty that comes when we enter city limits, but every single visit reminds us of how humbling it is to be a parent.
In life we regularly face challenges. It starts at birth and lasts until our very last breath. Whether it’s how to tie our shoes, how to solve algebraic equations, how and when to buy a house, or how to be an adult, the questions don’t stop. But with kids, it seems more challenging because the stakes are a lot higher.
In reality I know that Makenzie won’t go to college sleeping on the floor next to her Minnie Mouse bed, but right now I am questioning every little thing that has happened that led us from the Goes to bed like Champion every night Route to the Abandoned Highway of Terrible Bed and Nap times. Was is the lack of schedule from the snow storm, the traveling due to the holidays, the removal of the crib from her room, the new knowledge of how to open the door, a combination of all of the above, or perhaps, none of the above.
We don’t know how we got here, so now we are trying desperately how to find the fastest road out of Doubtville. Do we travel east past the Cry it out Canyon, stay south on the Sleep next to her skyway, or just continue down the path of Bad Parent Boulevard and hope it gets us back on the Sleep Superhighway? There’s just not a clear pathway.
I’m sure we’ll be back on track in no time, but until then I’ll settle for a roadside restaurant as long as it serves hot coffee. I think the only answer is that we stay the course, we try to be patient and we do it all with love and patience. After all, our goal as parents is to be the best and most supportive tour guides we can be, even if we don’t have a clue what the journey will entail.
Safe travels to you. Perhaps we’ll see you around the Doubtville Cafe. The coffee is good, but the company is amazing!
