Lucky Parents

My parents came to visit and were astonished that our 8-month-old son sleeps through the night. They said repeatedly, “You are so lucky.”

They’re not the only ones. When I tell neighbors George sleeps from 7pm-7am most can’t believe it. Their mouths drop open and they say, “You are so lucky.”

My husband and I are lucky. We’re lucky George seemed to know the difference between day and night from very early on. We’re lucky we live in the information age with so many resources at our disposal. We’re lucky my girlfriend recommended two books on sleep training. We’re lucky my neighbor across the street lent us her copy of On Becoming Babywise and every time I asked her - because I couldn’t fathom doing it even though all three books told me to - “So you wake them up when they’re sleeping??,”  she gave me a resounding, “Yup. That’s the key.”

We’re lucky parents. 

But as Seneca said,

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” 

We had to read all the books and take notes and figure out what worked best for us and George. We had to keep the lights off during nighttime feedings and stay very quiet. We had to embrace a long-term mindset and wake George up from naps even though my short-term brain thought it was crazy to do such a thing. And every time I fed George I had to write down what time he started and what time he finished.

It’s not about being lucky. It’s not even about creating your own luck. It’s about capitalizing on it. 

There’s no sense in getting offended when my parents tell us how lucky we are. Because they’re right. 

But the luckiest people in the world also work really hard.