Friday, April 1, 2011

Attachment parenting

So, I read a blog entry today about attachment parenting that perfectly captured my practice of it. I do consider myself to be an attachment parent (we co-sleep, baby-wear, cloth diaper, breastfeed exclusively, allow the child to wean at his/her own pace, seek to meet my baby's needs quickly and lovingly). However, I know a lot of AP parents who don't seem to be able to figure out how to set limits in their parenting. I firmly believe that kids need limits that are LOVINGLY enforced by parents. This is not a case of parents versus kids or 'you WILL obey me or else..'. No, this is a relational based approach to parenting. In the early years, we focus on building trust and relationship with our kids that lays the foundation for the times when we have to correct them. Even in correction, I try to remember that my child is not the enemy - the behavior is the problem. So, I seek to work WITH my child to address the issues at hand. All the while, we keep building that trust base. I want to connect with my children at a heart level and I don't want to be 'surviving' motherhood - I want to thrive and grow with my children. Some days are more successful than others, but I can honestly say that I fully enjoy my days with my kids. I love being a mom and miss my kiddos when they can't be around. I couldn't imagine it any other way.

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