“The cubs and the lions are snoring,/ Wrapped in a big snuggly heap./ How is it you can do all this other great sh*t/ But you can’t lie the f*ck down and sleep?”
“The seeds slumber beneath the earth now/ And the crops that the farmers will reap./ No more questions. This interview’s over. I’ve got two words for you, kid: f*cking sleep.”
These are excerpts of two different pages from the book “Go the F*ck to Sleep” by Adam Mansbach. And, if you are a parent, there is a good chance someone has forwarded the viral email to you, or at least mentioned this book. It is a story, written in the same tone and with the same language that all children’s “night night” books are written in, with one glaring exception: the author uses the phrase “go the f*ck to sleep” multiple times, as well as carries the “spirit” of that phrase throughout the book.
That I know about the book is not the news here; it is the interesting little comments that have come with it that has me fascinated. In the last five weeks, I have been sent this article no fewer than ten times. Every time it gets sent to me it is with the caveats “I know this is not right to laugh at” or “I would never buy this” and “this is hysterical, but you know, I never talk to my kids like this…” I have laughed with each forwarded email for two reasons: first, the book is absolutely hysterical and people clearly know me, and two, I am befuddled as to why people cannot have a sense of humor when it comes to parenting.
The F bomb notwithstanding, this book is funny on many levels. Melding the stereotype of the “goodnight book” (soothing pictures of animals snuggling and children in PJ’s) with outrageous language is the ultimate in irony, and guess what? Sometimes parenting is too! Here we are, at the end of a long day…the meals have been made, the books, read, the cheeks have been kissed, and as an adult you just want to sit for five minutes. You love your child to pieces, but please, please. Go. To. Sleep. Everyone has been there, and if you haven’t been there with sleep, it is with a child who will not shut up, or it is with a child who will simply not sit on the toilet. I find it utterly riotous that, as adults, we are called to be as calm and loving as we can when we are so stressed. Tired. Worn-out and worn down. You could not imagine how this would look when you were happy and pregnant, and now the reality is smacking you in the face in the form of a wiggly three year old who will simply not go to sleep.
So, what is to be done? There are about a million tips, tricks, and tools I can offer, but sometimes the answer is to simply laugh. Laugh at the absurdity of life, at how a three year old can completely stymie you…you with your Master’s degrees and CEO status, you with your yoga training and your years in therapy, and yes, you with your parent coaching business (okay, that’s me). Laughing at the incredible situation in which you find yourself does many good things, and one important point is that it releases tension. It can release you from perfectionist thinking, or your thinking that your child is out to get you (they are not out to get you), or the thinking that says, “this problem will never get better.” Laughing lets your children know that, yes, you are a little crazy and that you can roll with the punches. Laughter models flexibility, self-awareness and shows that, when given a choice to display anger or joy, you can choose laughter.
I absolutely agree! Parenting, no matter how much one prepares for it, will always throw curveballs at you! And once you look back and see how ridiculous some of the scenarios are that you’ve been in, the only thing to do is to laugh! I’m going to try and find this book because it seriously looks like a hilarious read and something I’d love to show my children when they are older/mature and can appreciate the humour! Thanks for sharing this, Meghan!