My husband and I have never practiced the cry-it-out method of sleep training for small children. We know many good and loving parents who do, but it just doesn't fit our philosophy of child-rearing, and it doesn't fit our child. So for the past 14 months we have gone to our child when she cries, and she hasn't become spoiled, bratty or unable to put herself to sleep. Quite the opposite--we do our sleep ritual and put her down, still awake but in the zone, and she sleeps all night long without incident. I won't say thats a result of our efforts; it could simply be part of the crap shoot that is parenting the specific child you end up with. But we have always been blessed with a good sleeper.

Normally.

Lately C has been reluctant to go to sleep--not sure whether it's teething or separation anxiety, both of which have been in evidence during the day, or perhaps some secret toddler condition we haven't yet discovered. Be that as it may, she wants us to hold her until she falls asleep. Last night we deliberately let her cry for longer than a few minutes. I don't know how people do it. It was hard for us, and that was in spite of the fact that we could tell her heart wasn't really in it. It was that blubbery, tired, not-happy-about-anything, only-sleep-will-fix-it-but-not-wanting-to-sleep cry. (You know how natives in Alaska have dozens of words for snow? It's the same for parents and their children's cries.)

Anyway, in the midst of the blubbering coming through loud and clear on the monitor, we heard a sudden and distinct, "Meow." It was our fat kitty, gone to check on the unhappy little girl which he is prone to do when she's upset. Her crying stopped almost immediately, and within a few minutes she was fast asleep.

It does take a village to raise a child, as long as that village includes a cat.