Co-Sleeping's a Problem for this Dad

My most recent Murphy's Love column includes a question about a young mom's habit of falling asleep in her kid's room, leaving her husband without a wife each night.

Co-sleeping is a touchy subject - it works wonders for some, some others would never think of even trying it - but this situation is less a question about parenting and more a concern about partnering. When most of the day revolves around getting kids to and from school, being productive at work, and then capitalizing on fleeting family time in between, the connection between two parents often suffers. This dad misses his wife, but he couches it as a problem with her parenting decision. Starting the conversation with an accusation puts more distance between two people. Instead, when we launch into a discussion with a more calm, introspective reflection on how this behavior is making me feel, we are much more likely to lead to the desired result - understanding, connection, and change.