At 4 a.m., fueled by exhaustion and perhaps a touch of humor, Andersen penned the poem and shared it on Facebook. It quickly resonated with moms everywhere. You can read her clever take on the shared (or not-so-shared) parenting struggle here.
Mom writes honest 4 a.m. poem about husband who sleeps instead of helping with the baby
Andersen said that though she was frustrated at the time, the poem was meant to be read with humor.
Newborns have a way of testing even the strongest relationships, especially when it comes to sharing parenting responsibilities. While parenting should ideally be a team effort, many moms find themselves shouldering the bulk of the workload. From late-night feedings to diaper changes and cleaning up endless messes, mothers often end up managing the most exhausting parts of childcare. Meanwhile, dads can unintentionally (or sometimes intentionally) slip into the role of enjoying the lighter, more rewarding moments. This imbalance, though far from new, remains a source of frustration for countless moms. One sleep-deprived mother, Caroline Olling Andersen from Copenhagen, channeled this universal feeling into a brilliantly witty and relatable poem titled “Daddy’s Asleep.”
I love your daddy, I really do,
After all, without daddy, I wouldn’t have you.
But from midnight till sunrise, it’s just you and I.
And as each hour passes, I’m not gonna lie:
Mommy’s love slowly fades, becomes angry and weak,
Because no matter what, your dad is f***ing asleep!
It all starts out lovely. We kiss each other goodnight.
We look lovingly down at you dear, such a beautiful sight.
An hour later, mommy wakes with a start.
You’re twisting and turning, you’re starting to fart.
You’re gesturing for food. Mommy is there
with a bottle or breast
Daddy is snoring away, the way he knows best.
Mommy burps you, and holds you, and rocks you with care.
You spew foul-smelling yogurt on mommy’s freshly washed hair.
As mommy changes her shirt, and mops vomit off the floor.
Your daddy farts, rolls over, and continues to snore.
Mommy’s maternal alarm goes off, it’s not even three!
You’re stirring again, you’re hungry and staring at me!
“I think she is hungry” your daddy offers, pulls the duvet over his head,
Mommy sends him a death stare and rolls out of bed.
Mommy comes back, tired and drained and what is this I see?
Your daddy has taken over my side, doesn’t give a f*** about me!
Mommy kicks him and pushes him angrily away.
“What’s up, love?” He moans in a lovingly way.
Your daddy has no clue he is under attack.
He wraps his arms around me and kisses my back.
And just as my love for daddy is back on the rise,
You start to coo in your crib and open your eyes.
And daddy gently nudges me to attend to your need.
I give him the finger as I prepare for a feed.
But as the sun starts rising, the slate is wiped clear.
I’m back to full love for your daddy and for you my dear.
I forget that daddy sleeps while you cry and you poo.
It’s back to kissing and hugging and doting on you.
Soon you’ll grow up and be daddy’s little girl.
You’ll not remember me cleaning up shit and vomit hurl.
Whilst you sit on his lap and he sings you a song,
You’ll love him and think daddy could do nothing wrong.
But my sweet love, here is a poem for you to keep,
So you know that all those long nights, dad was f***ing asleep!
The poem was a hit. With all the attention the poem got and considering the subject it dealt with, Caroline's husband received a lot of flak. Speaking to Bored Panda she clarified, “Truth is, we made a deal during my pregnancy that I’d take the night shift because I’ve been blessed with long maternity leave. [This way,] he gets to sleep so he can be ready for his 10-12 hour day teaching 10-year-olds. That said, tiredness will still cause you a lot of passive-aggressive feelings in the early hours at night – hence my poem, which was written at 4 am on a particularly tiring night (everything I wrote in that poem happened on that one night).”
She went on to say that parenthood is no easy task and acknowledged the strain it can have on a relationship. “My husband is a fantastic dad,” Caroline stated. “He is an amazing primary school teacher, and he has always brought a lot of fun and humor to our relationship, which he now also brings to daddyhood.” Taking her mother's advice – "Happy parents result in happy children," to heart, the couple has decided to put their relationship first. She further clarified that the poem was meant to be read with humor and was not an attack on her husband.
You can follow @caroline.ollingandersen on Facebook for moving poems.
This article originally appeared 3 years ago.
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