If my baby starts crying

 If my baby starts crying and you don’t immediately hand them back, we’re going to have a problem.

Not because you’re doing something wrong on purpose
But because you’re not the one their nervous system is reaching for.

Crying isn’t a performance.
It’s not a challenge.
It’s not a moment for you to “see if you can calm them.”

It’s communication.

And when they cry, they are asking for me.

I’m not hovering.
I’m not overreacting.
I’m not being dramatic.

I’m responding to my child.

So please don’t bounce them harder.
Don’t turn away.
Don’t say “I’ve got it” while they’re escalating in your arms.

Just hand them back.

Because comforting my baby is not a power struggle,
and access to a crying child is not a privilege.

It’s a boundary.