‘Sleeping Like a Baby’ Is a Lie

June 20, 2020

A roundup of new guidance and stories from NYT Parenting.

Tomorrow is Father’s Day! And we have three personal essays about fatherhood this week to help celebrate the dads in your life. There’s one from Kevin Powell, who has written a beautiful letter to the child he hopes to have. The piece is about how to survive in a world filled with fear, violence, sexism and racism. We have Mike Birbiglia, writing about how he, a sleepwalker, and his wife, J. Hope Stein, an insomniac, had a baby… who also didn't sleep. “There’s an expression, 'sleep like a baby,’ which I thought meant ‘deeply,’ but apparently means ‘doesn’t,’" Birbiglia writes. And we have Erik Vance, an NYT Parenting staff editor, telling us how he feared that fatherhood would make him lose his edge after spending his young adult life as a journalist, adventurer and explorer.

Also this week, we have two incredible photo series of families protesting. One from the Children’s March in Brooklyn, and the other, from a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Tiffany Williams, 39, took her son, Preston, 7, to the Children’s March. “It was nice to march with people who look like me and people who support me,” Williams said. “It was even better to march with my son.”

Finally, we have a selection of pieces on navigating our weird new post-corona world. Now that you may be straying further from your house as lockdowns ease, a big question lots of parents have is how do I deal with taking my kid to the potty? Katharine Gammon has some reassuring words about braving the risks of public bathrooms, despite that horrifying article about how “flushing the toilet may fling coronavirus aerosols all over.” Aaron Carroll, a pediatrician, weighs in on when grandparents may be able to meet your newborn. If you’re worried your child is losing social skills while isolated from his friends and classmates, Emily Sohn says try not to fret: Your kid is learning more from family time than you may think.

Thanks for reading!

— Jessica Grose, lead editor, NYT Parenting

P.S. Today’s One Thing comes from the Games team at the Times, which has come up with a set of games you can play by creating tiles out of old newspapers.

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THIS WEEK IN NYT PARENTING

Marta Monteiro

A Letter From Father to Child

Kevin Powell writes to his future child about how to survive in a world filled with fear, violence, sexism and racism.

By Kevin Powell

Antoine Maillard

Becoming a Dad Meant Losing My Edge

And it was worth it.

By Erik Vance

Celeste Sloman for The New York Times

A Sleepwalker and an Insomniac Walk Into a Bed

What happens when two people who can’t sleep have a baby who … also doesn’t sleep? Mike Birbiglia found out.

By Mike Birbiglia

Cheriss May

Portraits of Families in Protest

Parents actively show their children how to speak out and take a stand against inequality.

By Christina Caron and Cheriss May

Nick Sansone

The Next Generation of Voices at the Children’s March in Brooklyn

Scenes from a protest where kids took the podium.

By Kyle de Vre, Nick Sansone and Dani Blum

Branche Coverdale

How to Deal With Public Bathrooms During Coronavirus

When they’ve gotta go, they’ve gotta go. Here’s how parents can minimize the risk.

By Katharine Gammon

Joan Alturo

When Can Grandparents Meet the Newborn?

With precautions in place you may be able to see — and even hold — the newest addition to your family.

By Aaron E. Carroll

Sarah Mazzetti

Worried About Your Kids’ Social Skills Post-Lockdown?

Try not to fret. There’s much to be gained from time with family, or even on their own.

By Emily Sohn

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Tiny Victories

Parenting can be a grind. Let’s celebrate the tiny victories.

I’d never watched any “Star Wars” movies in my life, but started watching with my daughter when she was about 10 months old. It was the first time she sat through a movie. About five months later at a department store, she started singing DA-DA DADAN DAN (“Imperial March”) as she reached out for a Darth Vader plush toy. That’s when I realized I was triumphing as a father. — Camilo Aguirre, Weehawken, NJ

If you want a chance to get your Tiny Victory published, find us on Instagram @NYTparenting and use the hashtag #tinyvictories; email us; or enter your Tiny Victory at the bottom of this page. Include your full name and location. Tiny Victories may be edited for clarity and style. Your name, location and comments may be published, but your contact information will not. By submitting to us, you agree that you have read, understand and accept the Reader Submission Terms in relation to all of the content and other information you send to us.

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