An Akron mother used her own experiences parenting to create a book and accompanying lullaby to ease anxiety at bedtime. Whitney Parnell-Williams said her son Wesley had sleep anxiety.
For many families, bedtime is book time. Not only does this help children with language acquisition, but it encourages bonding too.
Parnell-Williams wrote "It's Okay to be Sleepy," a bedtime board book with an accompanying lullaby. When Wesley was fighting sleep, Parnell-Williams would tell her son, "it's okay to be sleepy," and eventually, her words turned into a lullaby that soothed him to sleep.
Parnell-Williams said, "It's okay to be sleepy, I would tell my son as he was fighting sleep. I wanted to reassure him that even though it didn't feel like it, he was okay."
The book depicts Mommy, Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa as they help the baby drift off to sleep. It was important to Parnell-Williams to illustrate multigenerational parenting.
You can find the accompanying lullaby by CLICKING HERE.
The board book is available by CLICKING HERE, as well as at Akron Public Library locations.
