To Sleep, Perchance to Dream (A Fairy Tale*)

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Jacque** who didn't like to sleep.  His mother, Eliza**, and his father, Davey-J**, tried everything they could to get their sweet boy to sleep.  They probably spoiled him by rocking him to sleep every night, but in their minds, baby Jacque had such a hard time falling asleep because he had such terrible gas.  Unfortunately, Jacque became quite accustomed to being rocked to sleep and when Mom and Dad wanted Jacque to fall asleep on his own he would cry and cry and cry until Mom or Dad would rock him to sleep.  Once Jacque would fall asleep he would still wake up at least once in the middle of the night for a little midnight snack from Mommy.  When it came to napping, Jacque didn't like that either.  He would happily sleep in Mommy or Daddy's arms, but not for very long in his cage crib.

Then, one day, Eliza and Davey-J took sweet Jacque to the very wise doctor and told him about their sadness and tiredness from the baby boy not sleeping.  The very wise doctor told Eliza that it was time to give Jacque some "tough love" and to let him cry himself to sleep.  He promised that everyone in the kingdom would be much happier once Jacque learned to sleep on his own.

That evening, Eliza and Davey-J put sweet Jacque to bed and he started to cry.  He cried and he cried for about twenty-five minutes.  Once Jacque became quiet, Davey-J looked on the monitor and he was sleeping while sitting up in his crib.  He continued to sleep in the upright position for about an hour at which time, Davey-J went in and laid him down and he slept for many hours.  He woke up one time that night and his parents just let him cry.  He cried for about ten minutes and then fell asleep sitting up, once again.  He eventually fell over and continued to sleep.

Sweet baby Jacque has continued his new found sleep habits since that special night twenty-four nights ago.   He even did well when his traveled to Virginia and across the country to California.  It is amazing what a little tough love can do for a sweet baby boy.

Jacque and his parents lived happily ever after.

The End


*told in fairy tale form to prevent the good fortune from being jinxed
**names were changed to protect the innocent