Chapter 9 Discovery Checklist

1) An issue that currently concerns me is the topic of Co-sleeping with children, and the current debate that engages me is whether or not it's acceptable.

2) The position I'm taking is that Co-sleeping with children is unacceptable and it isn't right. I can state which side of the debate I'm taking by saying something like, "Co-Sleeping with children is intolerable and the risks of it should be emphasized more to parents and parents-to-be." I think the most relevant evidence I'll need to support my stand is the health dangers like suffocation and death. Another point is when children learn to sleep alone, they also learn to self soothe, which in the end makes things easier on both the children and parents. Another valid point is that children need structure and routine, knowing that their parents are readily available when they wake up may cause them to get up more throughout the night. I'll be able to achieve gathering this support through expert testimony, research, and personal experience.

3) "Co-Sleeping with children is intolerable, and the risks of it should be emphasized more to parents and parents to be." I like the first part of my thesis because it's very straight forward and to the point, however I feel like I don't need to include the second part necessarily because I will be touching on that topic through personal experience at some point in the paper. However, if I do decide to keep the second part, I could refine it by saying, " The risks of it should be emphasized more to parents and family members" because parents aren't the only ones who might be involved in co-sleeping, especially if family members are babysitting and such.

4) Through the stand that I'm taking, I'm making the assumption that co-sleeping with children is not only a health risk, but it also impairs the development of self soothing methods, and it's a major road block when it comes to the daily routine that children truly do need, bed time being one of them. It seems that my audience should know why co-sleeping is a health risk, however I need to assume that they don't know much about the controversy I've picked, so they may need clarification of how and why it's dangerous. I definitely think my audience will need clarification of how beneficial self soothing and daily routine among children is, and they'll need clarification of how and why co-sleeping affects those two things.

5) I will qualify my thesis through Expert testimony, personal experience, and research. My major arguments will be the health risks, as well as the effects it has on self soothing AND daily routine that children need. I need to keep in mind that my audience may or may not be able to relate to this topic depending on if they're parents or have children in the family, so I feel I should probably consider that as a viewpoint. Also, I need to take into consideration that some parents find co-sleeping to be much easier because they don't have to get out of bed in the middle of the night, and some might feel that they're bonding with their children by doing this. Also some parents might think that they're alert enough or enough of a light-sleeper to wake up if their child's face is covered with a blanket or accidentally gets rolled on.

-Samantha Gardner, English 122