Dear World News Now

Oh, how I've missed you. We had three brief affairs...the first lasting 10 weeks, the second 8, the third only 6 fleeting weeks. I loved your company but hated the fact that we spent so much time together. Ours was a love that could never last...

I would wake to a crying baby and there you were, keeping me awake and entertained as I nursed each of my three children. You made me laugh, you made me cry...sometimes you made it difficult for me to go back to sleep as you drew me into celebrity gossip or some bizarre story. And when you would actually have breaking news in the middle of the night, you made me feel as if you were trusting me with an exceptional secret. It would somehow validate my life in the endless continuum of nursing, dirty diapers, greasy hair and sweats covered in spit-up and other mystery stains.

You were so considerate to transition from World News Now to America This Morning subtly throughout the night as it provided a reference point as to how late (or early) I was awoken. It would help me determine if it was worth trying to get back to sleep after each feeding. And as feedings grew fewer and further between, I would start to miss you.

And then the inevitable would come. I would awake at dawn in a panic because there had been no crying at night and my local news anchors would be there to greet me instead of you. Melancholy would set in as I would know that our relationship was coming to an end. I would miss you dearly...but not as much as a full night's sleep.

But this week, we've had an unexpected rendezvous as my 18 month old was up with a fever for several hours several nights in a row. I sat in the same spot where I first fell in love with you, comforting my daughter and rocking her to sleep. And there you were comforting me, keeping me company during the wee hours of the morning. I fondly reminisced about the "old times" we had together.

I have missed you dearly, old friend. We had a great run. I know we will meet again someday...fever, flu, or insomnia will draw us together. I will smile at the memories we've shared and I will wish you the best, but I will not allow our relationship to continue. I love you but I love sleep more. So for now (and hopefully for a long, long time), I say goodbye.