Our Family Bed

We play musical beds at our house. Our two boys have slept in our bed off and on since birth. I remember my own parents bed being the safest place in the whole world and often joining them in the early morning hours. John grew up in a household with a high ratio of family members to house square footage and like many people in the world shared beds with mutiple siblings and cousins.

I no longer take lightly the mind, body, spirit connection that we've fostered while sleeping with our children. One night when my oldest son was 3 years old we slept together in an unfamiliar bed at a family member's house. I dreamed that he was about to fall off the bed. In a half dream, half awake state I reached over to him and scooped him up just as he was slipping over the edge. In that moment all felt normal and right and I pulled him closer to the center of the bed and went back to sleep. Later the next day as I remembered the incident I marvelled at my mama intuition.

Currently our boys (3 and 9) start the night out together in the full size bottom bunk in their room. Most days they crawl in our bed in the early morning. Most days this allows us all to wake up well rested. Somedays though I find myself scrunched between two very cuddly boys, one of whom has develped pokey knees and elbows, the other of whom has a fixed attachment to my bellybutton.

At times I long to flop into a big cozy bed all by myself! That's when I remember holistic OB/GYN Doc. and author, Christiane Northrup. Northrup's books are an empowering read for all women (good info. for their men too!). She talks about women's magnetic power that draws the children and partner's in her life to her - sometimes at 3:00 am. When feeling burnt out, resentful, or too drained to respond she reminds us to take care of ourselves, reclaim this power and channel it to useful and good purpose. The simple message I take with me today - Pursue my passion, love those around me and enjoy my magnatism - and just maybe follow through on some of those 3:00am ideas!