Bed Sharing - For or Against?

[drmotroni]

Against, it might create a bad dependency.

[qtrdhd]

I know that I sleep better without my kids in my bed with me and my husband.  But if they are scared and have a bad dream, I don't mind for a little while.  Just don't want it to become a habit.

[trekbabe]

Against. My children are adults now, and we never let them sleep with us.  I have been known to sleep in the their beds with them every now and then, but my bed is for me and my husband.

[gaylasue]

It is a very bad habit to get into having your child sleep in your bed.  It may be more convenient for you but it turns into a habit that is hard to break when the child gets older.  My nephew slept with his parents until he was six years old.  I have another sister that she and her husband took over their daughters' beds because they couldn't get my nieces to sleep in their own bed because they had always slept with their parents. 

[jordandog]

Why does it seem only the people in this country have such a hard time disciplining children? They only learn boundaries by teaching them and the parents' bed is a 'no-fly' zone, period! I'm NOT talking about a child who is sick, scared, brought into the bed in the wee hours for breastfeeding and then put back into their crib (did that), or having them crawl in with you when it's morning so they can cuddle (did that too). If a child is NOT sick, hurt, or hungry, why do so many parents think that child will die if they are left to cry themselves to sleep?!

I won't even go into all the problems this can create as far as a couple's relationship. Have you ever known a child who was obsessively jealous of a parent because the child feels they 'own' them and all of their attention because they slept with the parents for extended periods? I have known several and it's NOT pretty, believe me. It's topics like this that make me remember reasons why we have soooo many screwed up kids with soooo many emotional and psychological problems. Other cultures might have different views on kids in the bed, but even if they do I can almost guarantee they also have well rounded and very respectful children because they do NOT view their children as 'entitled' the way most Americans do.