Image via YouTube
We can all relate, right?
Anyone who has welcomed a newborn into their lives understands that it’s an understatement to say they require a lot of attention. The exhaustion can be so overwhelming that your body will instinctively do anything for a few extra moments of sleep, and believe me, babies are well aware of this.
In a charming video shared on America’s Funniest Home Videos’ YouTube channel, a dad hears his baby crying and instinctively goes into “pat pat pat” mode—all while still fast asleep. This delightful moment is heartwarming not just because it’s utterly adorable but because it strikes a chord with many parents. Who hasn’t found themselves whispering “Shhh shhh shhh” when a colleague gets too chatty? How many of us have stirred from a nap, thinking we heard a baby cry, only to realize it was just the dog barking? Even now, with my kids being nine years old, I still catch myself swaying side to side in the grocery line as if I were calming a baby.
Those little ones really get under our skin!
From the looks of the dad’s baby, it’s clear he’s reached that stage of parenthood where his body is saying, “No worries, just keep sleeping. I can handle this. A little pat on the back, and we’re both good.” I vividly recall a night when I woke up to see a burp cloth on my nightstand and thought it was one of my little ones. My first thought was, “That’s strange. Well, it seems fine. I’ll check on it… zzzzz.” Your mind tries to take charge, wanting to wake and ensure everything is okay, but when you’re utterly exhausted, sometimes your body decides to give your brain a little vacation.
The Huffington Post shared this video on their Facebook page, and many parents chimed in with their own tales of sleep-deprived parenting:
- “I’ve kissed my baby’s head in the middle of the night, and it turns out it was just my pillow. She was in her own room!”
- “When our twins were newborns, my husband, in his sleepy haze, cuddled our comforter like a baby and started shushing it. The struggle is real.”
- “I once rocked an empty stroller for 10 minutes until someone pointed out that my baby was being held by my partner.”
We think this Imaginary Baby deserves its own sitcom! Picture a theme song like this:
“When you want to leave the house but suddenly can’t,
It’s a ghost! It’s the dog! Or you’re not wearing pants!
Or maybe it’s the baby that you can’t see or hear,
The Imaginary Baby threw up in your brassiere.”
It’s still a work in progress!
We’d love to hear your own stories of unconscious parenting in the comments; they always bring us a good laugh (with you, of course—not just at you, well, maybe just a little).
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In summary, this adorable video of a dad comforting an imaginary baby is a reminder that all parents have their moments of sleep-deprived antics. It’s a journey filled with love, laughter, and occasional chaos, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything.