And I'll repeat this again from my post the other day. I AM NOT JUDGING YOU. So if you are reading this and start to feel judged, don't. If you are a good, loving, caring mother, and your child's welfare is taken care of and their nutritious needs are met, I guarantee you're doing it right. Because there is no ONE way to do it right.
Okay, disclaimer part over. Let's get on to Attachment Parenting and how it relates to my life.
Here is the definition of AP that I copied and pasted from Wikipedia.
Attachment parenting, a phrase coined by pediatrician William Sears,[1] is a parenting philosophy based on the principles of attachment theory in developmental psychology. According to attachment theory, the child forms a strong emotional bond with caregivers during childhood with lifelong consequences.[2] Sensitive and emotionally available parenting helps the child to form a secure attachment style which fosters a child's socio-emotional development and well-being.
I for one, really don't like the stigma and negative connotation that sometimes comes with Attachment Parenting because I feel like it sometimes makes people take AP-style parents less seriously. And just like there is no ONE way to parent, there is plenty of ways to remain an attached parent without following the text book definition. For example, I choose to vaccinate my child, on schedule, which goes against Dr. Sears' approach to vaccinations. Feel free to Google him to learn more if you so desire.
However, I do really love so much that comes with AP-style parenting including baby wearing, cloth diapering, co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, etc. All of those things just work for us. Jack has been a clingy baby since day one. You'll recall my many mentions of his inability to nap without sleeping ON me or in a baby carrier. His needs led me toward this style of parenting and I'm really glad it did. Maybe if my first kid had been one that needed less touching, immediate response, etc. then perhaps I would have not be driven to AP-style parenting.
Being a working mom also tends to go against what AP stands for because I leave him in the care of someone else for a good portion of his day three days a week. But even still, I overall take the AP approach to parenting Jack when I am home with him.
Unfortunately the negative connotation from AP stems from these so-called "Mommy wars" online that occur when someone tells another mom they are doing it wrong. I know many AP moms who feel like it is their way or the highway when it comes to parenting. I don't. Like I said, it really depends on the individual need of the baby. Because Jack is an attached sort of kid, it makes sense for me to be an attached sort of parent.
Overall the biggest reasons I've found AP beneficial for us is that it allows me to get some sleep at night through co-sleeping, I love how gentle discipline has worked for us so far (more on this in my next post), baby wearing simply makes my life so much easier, plus the carriers are so cute :) and cloth diapers have saved me a ton of money, which is always good, eh? ;) And the bond I have with my son is the best part about my life. It's not always easy, but it continually reminds me how blessed I am to be his mama and I will never stop feeling lucky that he is the amazing, special, bright and sweet boy who made me a mom in the first place :)
All of my other thoughts on parenting that I will eventually discuss in my series here on the blog stem from this AP style of parenting. If you have any questions about AP and wish to email them to me or comment here on the blog, feel free! I'd love to start a discussion or answer any questions.
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