ASK AMY

Dear Amy:

I'm a single mom of an almost 9-year-old daughter who sleeps in my bed.

She has been doing this since her father tried to put her in a toddler bed when she wasn't ready -- before age 2.

Because I've always worked, letting her sleep with me was the only way for me to get some sleep.

When my daughter was 5, my husband and I got divorced, and she and I moved into a new house.

I thought that she went through enough trauma and let her continue to sleep in my bed.

Anyway, we've both been getting grief from family and friends about our sleeping arrangements.

I've always responded by saying that she'll wake up one day and wonder why she's sleeping with me when she has her own bed, and it will all be over.

It really doesn't bother me. When people say something directly to my daughter, she gets very upset. She is a very sensitive child.

Now I wonder if maybe I'm wrong to let this continue?

I'd appreciate your single-mom viewpoint.