My husband, Dave, and I have three kids, the youngest being our 6-month-old baby girl, Lily. You’d think after raising two kids, Dave would have nighttime parenting down to a science. But apparently, his “expertise” involves rolling over, putting on noise-canceling headphones, and leaving me to handle the chaos.
Every time Lily wakes up crying, Dave’s routine is the same. His excuse? “I need my sleep for work.” As if I don’t need mine for taking care of three kids, running errands, and managing the house during the day.
One particularly brutal night, Lily was teething and inconsolable. She cried for hours, and no amount of rocking, feeding, or soothing would calm her down. Exhausted, I glanced over at Dave, snoring peacefully with his headphones on. My frustration hit its breaking point.
I decided it was time to teach him a lesson he wouldn’t forget.
The next morning, I waited until he left for work. While he was gone, I gathered the kids and hatched a plan. That evening, after dinner, I handed Dave the baby monitor and said, “Congratulations! You’re on night duty tonight. I’m checking into a hotel.”
He looked at me, stunned. “You’re joking, right?”
“Not at all,” I said, grabbing my packed bag. “I’ve been running on fumes for months. Tonight, you’ll see what it’s like.”
Before he could argue, I kissed the kids goodnight and left.
At the hotel, I relished the uninterrupted silence. I ordered room service, took a long bath, and slept for the first time in what felt like forever.
The next morning, I came home to a disheveled, sleep-deprived Dave. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he’d been through a war zone.
“She didn’t stop crying!” he groaned. “I tried everything—rocking, feeding, even that lullaby playlist you use. Nothing worked! How do you do this every night?”
I smiled and handed him a cup of coffee. “Now you understand why I need help. We’re a team, Dave. This isn’t just my responsibility—it’s ours.”
From that day on, Dave stepped up. We created a schedule for nighttime duties, splitting the workload so we both got some rest. He even started researching tips for soothing teething babies, eager to make things easier for both of us.
Sometimes, it takes a sleepless night to open someone’s eyes. In the end, our family was stronger for it—and I finally got the support I deserved.
