Do all parents live like this? I wondered, waking to the sound of my adorable, diaper-clad alarm clock. My new morning routine started at approximately 3:30 am when Colby, our 3-month-old son, would summon his mother for food with his clamorous cries. Unlike myself, my wife is a heavy sleeper, so I jostled her until she drowsily awoke, ready for duty. There was no snooze button on this brand of alarm.

My wife's whole-hearted dedication to our children continuously impressed me; she was beyond exhausted, but she handled night-time nursing and her postpartum recovery with maternal resilience and strength. Meanwhile, I was on my last nerve, despite having the luxury of falling back asleep each night while my son nursed. Parents of newborns and young children experience higher levels of stress and exhaustion, and I was no exception. Despite being a child psychologist, raising two young kids was taking its toll on my mental health.

On this particular morning, I must have drifted off, because suddenly it was 4:59 am and my toddler’s wailing was vibrating the baby monitor off the bedside table. Like clockwork, her daily 5:00 am howling demanded my immediate attention before our neighbors had reason to complain. I begrudgingly left the warmth of my bed to prevent alarm clock #2 from waking up the entire building.

Desperate for a moment alone with a cup of coffee, I coped by thinking about the forthcoming morning embrace from my 2-year-old. I shuffled into CeCe’s room and, in a discouraging turn of events, was startled by a piercing “NOOOOO!” blaring from her crib like an air horn.

“No Daddy! I want MOMMY! Go away!”

Not the warm welcome I had hoped for. My brain was barely functioning at this hour, but my clinical........

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