Being a new parent can be as frustrating as it is rewarding. It’s full of big breakthroughs and overwhelming obstacles. Through the experience, I’m learning a few new lessons about myself and life in general.

For instance, I don’t like doing things I do poorly. I never played basketball, because I’m short and uncoordinated. This, incidentally, is also the same reason I looked for excuses to not put our son to sleep. Until recently, I was terrible at it.

But one day, something changed.

As I was rocking our son to sleep and watching with frustration as he squirmed and fussed in my arms, my wife gave me some advice. This came at a critical moment, because I was just about to give up.

“Just keep doing that,” she said as I bounced him on my chest while rocking my hips from side to side. “It’ll work. You just can’t give up.”

I sighed dubiously. This was the moment I usually threw in the towel.

Keep doing this? I thought, that’ll never work.

A minute later, he was asleep. And I couldn’t believe it.

Read the rest here: How to Put a Newborn to Sleep (or Do Anything)