| There's an old tradition in Ireland, the wake | | | | family bed throughout the night. |
| bed, a family bed where the dead are waked. | | | | |
| Well, the family bed takes on a whole new | | | | You may resort to tricks to encourage him to |
| meaning when you have children: the awake | | | | stay in his own room. Lovely new bed-clothes, |
| bed! | | | | soft character lighting, soothing music, |
| | | | pretty mobiles... |
| When your new baby arrives home from the | | | | |
| hospital all your plans to not spoil him go | | | | Don't fool yourself; he's well ahead of you! |
| out the window. He is a tiny little soul and | | | | His nocturnal excursions continue. You beg, |
| you are his slave. He squeaks, you run. You | | | | you plead, for a full night's sleep in your |
| are completely in his control! | | | | own bed without your little visitor - but it |
| | | | falls on deaf ears! Still he pays his call. |
| You planned to feed him, bathe him, dress | | | | |
| him, play with him, show him off and at the | | | | You resort to purchasing a new bed for |
| end of the day, put him to sleep in his | | | | yourself, a bigger one. You have a bright |
| lovely new crib! | | | | idea: let the wee man have your old bed. |
| | | | He'll like that, his own big bed, just like |
| Real life isn't like that... | | | | mummy and daddy! |
| | | | |
| You've fed him, bathed him, dressed him, | | | | More lovely bedclothes, lots of praise for |
| played with him, showed him off and, sleeping | | | | your little treasure. Why didn't you think of |
| soundly in your arms, you've tenderly placed | | | | it sooner? |
| him in his lovely new crib. His eyes open, he | | | | |
| glares at you, opens his mouth wide and | | | | Oh, the naivety of first-time parents. |
| screams loud enough to awaken the dead! | | | | |
| | | | His new bed might be bigger but so is yours; |
| How dare you abandon him like that? | | | | there's even more room between mummy and |
| | | | daddy now. So he can bring a few toys along |
| At the end of a tiring day you dolefully give | | | | too! |
| in to his battle cry; you lift him and he | | | | |
| stops... you are in his grip! | | | | As the family grows so does the gap. You |
| | | | precariously hang off one side of the new big |
| As days and nights merge into one he | | | | bed as your husband hangs off the other, but |
| habitually sandwiches himself between mummy | | | | you smile as you sing along to, 'There were |
| and daddy! | | | | five in the bed and the little one said,"Roll |
| | | | Over!"' |
| Number two arrives and it becomes a priority | | | | |
| to make number one stay in his own bed. But, | | | | Life imitates nursery rhymes. Didn't you know |
| oh no, he doesn't like that! He may start off | | | | that? |
| there but he makes his own way into the | | | | |