by Deidra Romero posted in Parenting

When my son was 8 weeks old I expected him to sleep through the night like all the books said. Like most of my friends said. I waited. And waited. And waited. Weeks passed. Then months.
I went into disaster recovery mode. How could I be the mom with the bad sleeper" I did everything right. I tried every tip and trick from rearranging his schedule to sticker charts and incentives. I took him to see two therapists and even spoke with my own therapist about what I could do. A few things helped, but at 4 years old he remains a challenging sleeper.
In the early days, I feared my secret would become public. I was doing everything I knew to do. My close friends knew but I worried what everyone else would think when they found out that I, the mommy blogger, had a kid who didn't sleep through the night. And honestly, I still worry about this. I have to armor myself when it comes up in conversation with other parents. I see their faces. I know they think I?m doing something wrong. I know they judge me and my ability.
And it's fine. I can't ask them not to.
If they think I'm a bad mom, it's okay. I believed that lie for a long time, too.

So to you, Mom, with the baby or toddler or preschooler who doesn't sleep well, I know how you feel. You think you are awful because your kid isn't like everyone else's or isn't like your first. I know you have been so tired and frustrated that you've cried in moments of weakness, all by yourself. I know yo...