Help Falling Asleep

As I was helping my son fall asleep, I was thinking about the potential problems that I am created by actually helping him fall asleep. So many of the other moms of young boys that I know do no such thing as laying down in their son’s bed to help him fall asleep (I must be crazy). A small part of me wishes that I could get my son to just go to sleep on his own without being scared. Perhaps this is a behavior that I can teach my two year old, but as I lay next to my son waiting for him to drift off to sleep, I began thinking about how precious these moments really are (even though they can also be quite frustrating). He is particularly sweet during these moments. He just wants to know that I am there. He might reach for my hands or put his arms around my neck. As he is getting ready to fall asleep, he will say: “I love you mommy” more than once. He is so innocent, kind, and generous. He will make sure that I have enough covers so that I am not cold. Occasionally, he will reach out to touch my face. I like knowing that he finds comfort and security in my presence especially with his current fear of the dark (something I am sure he will out grow just like I did). While I wait for him to fall asleep, I start thinking about all the special and precious moments I have shared with my son as a newborn, immobile baby, mobile baby, and toddler. I thought that I really need to appreciate these moments with him because he will not stay little forever and soon enough he will be all grown up perhaps not wanting anything to do with me. Knowing that these moments just fly by, I start to wonder if it is really so bad that my son needs a little help, the presence of a parent, to fall asleep. I realized that it is not so bad. I time will come when I will without a doubt wish that my son was a toddler again who needs help to fall asleep.