The Best

I would like to share with you all one of my favorite pleasures. I know that a "good" mother is supposed to put the baby to bed and let the baby go to sleep on their own. It's in all the books.

However, I am here to tell you I think that is the biggest bunch of hooey. One of my fondest memories will always be of rocking my babies to sleep. There is nothing sweeter. I'm not going to be old someday sitting around thinking, "Gee, I wish I hadn't held my beautiful babies. I wish I had put them in a crib and let them cry themselves to sleep."

It was different for each of my girls. Vanessa, nearly from birth, had to play with my wedding ring while she was being rocked to sleep. She would turn it over and over. She even preferred to have her head in my right arm. She could hold my left hand and play with the ring. Harley had to see that I was going to sleep too. So I would rock her and close my eyes, pretending to be asleep. She preferred to be on my shoulder instead of lying across me. Adrienne likes to have her arms stroked. She likes a gentle, finger-tipped stroke. If I don't do it, she'll do it to herself.

It's amazing to me how they were all different and yet the same. I still rock Adrienne to sleep. I will for as long as I can. I think it is one of life's sweetest treasures!