So did you see the news purporting to explain why mamas jolt from deepest, deserved slumber when they hear a crying baby – while the Daddybear snores on, oblivious?
It seems that a baby's cries are the number-one sound to awaken women, while for men it doesn't even make the top 10!(Car alarms, howling wind, and buzzing flies get guys up!)
Researchers surmise there may be an evolutionary explanation: Men are more attuned to threats to the household, while women are focused on protecting their children.
I have to say, I used to feel a sense of accomplishment getting a wakeful sleeper back to Nod. It's not that I looked forward to being yanked from sleep — no way. But there was always something primal and peaceful about having your baby grow heavy in your arms in a house that's dark and still.
I remember once when my youngest, Page, was about six months old and her three were siblings 7 and under. I had to go out of town for nearly a week. By then Page was sleeping in her own crib, down the hall. I was not the slightest bit worried about the waking hours. Their dad was hands on, watchful, adored. It was the night that gave me pause. "What if you don't hear her?" I fretted, "Do you want me to get a monitor?"
"She sleeps through the night," he reminded me.
"I know. But not always. She might get sick. Or something. Or somebody else might get up. How are you going to hear them?"
"I will," he assured. "I'm their father."
"Then why don't you get up when I'm here?"
"Because I know you do"
Oh. Of course. Because I'm the mother. And come to think of it, I couldn't help myself. I complained. But I never really minded. –Paula Spencer, WD "Momfidence" columnist