To sleep

An old essay found a new home

I wrote this piece when my precocious 5-year-old, Isaiah, was a precocious 2-year-old, and it recently found a home in the print edition of the literary magazine, Calla Press.

I’ve learned a lot about myself over the years of rocking babies, and those lessons are still at work as I help my kids grow into the people they were born to be. They will not always need my words, my body, or my voice in the dark to comfort them; but may I be worthy of their trust and confidence when they no longer need it, may I be a welcome help even when they could succeed alone.

To Sleep

(Originally published in Calla Press, print edition.)

His little head is covered with brown curls, which I futilely attempt to comb above his cute tan ears and deep brown eyes. His favorite things are animals that go “rawr!”, tractors and his blankie, a tiny green square of fleece, printed with dinosaurs and grubby from being carried everywhere.

At two years old, he’s not a good sleeper, but to be fair, he never has been - h…