What Makes My Kids Cry Today

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me to “sleep when the baby sleeps,” I might actually be able to afford a nap nanny and blackout curtains. But instead, I got advice that sounded good on Pinterest, made me feel guilty when I couldn’t follow it, and came with a side of dirty laundry and a baby who only naps in 17-minute intervals.

Let’s Be Honest…

When you’re in the thick of newborn life, rest doesn’t look like eight uninterrupted hours. It looks like holding your eyelids open with coffee and hope. It looks like folding onesies at midnight and crying over spilled breast milk. It looks like wondering if you’re doing it all wrong because “everyone else” seems to have figured out how to rest.

Except… they haven’t.

They’re just tired in cuter pajamas.

The Lie of “Easy Fixes”

“Sleep when the baby sleeps.”

“Cherish every moment.”

“Enjoy it — it goes by fast!”

All true in some way. But also? Sometimes unhelpful. These phrases, while well-meaning, can stack guilt on top of exhaustion. What we really need is not more advice — it’s permission. Permission to rest in the middle of the mess. Permission to admit we’re weary. Permission to cry on the kitchen floor at 3 AM and know we’re not alone.

The Rest Jesus Offers

Real rest isn’t always physical.

It’s spiritual. Emotional.

It’s Jesus whispering, “Come to me.”

Not, “Come to me when you’ve finished the dishes.”

Not, “Come to me once the baby’s sleeping through the night.”

Just — Come.

Jesus doesn’t offer a clean house or a magic nap schedule. He offers Himself. And that’s enough.

If You’re Tired Today…

Friend, you’re not failing. You’re just human.

And being human means you’ll have seasons where your body is drained, your heart is heavy, and your eyelids twitch for no good reason.

You weren’t made to carry it all alone.

So maybe the better version of that old advice is:

“Rest when the Savior calls.”

Even if the baby’s wide awake.

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🎧 Listen to This Episode:

You’ll Sleep When the Baby Sleeps — And Other Lies We’ve Been Told

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💬 Let’s Talk:

What’s the worst (or most hilariously unhelpful) parenting advice you’ve ever been given? Drop it in the comments — we’re building a collection of “good intentions gone wrong.”