Attachment Parenting Read my article on Suite101.com: An Introduction to Attachment Parenting Attachment parenting helps children to value people over things. It helps them see that when we care for people we listen to them, we respond to them, we meet their needs.
My ThoughtsWhen Ellen was born, I hardly knew anything about being a parent. While pregnant, I focused on reading books about pregnancy and childbirth. I was so consumed with fascination (and sometimes worry!) about those two subjects that I looked at childbirth as the goal I was traveling toward. I almost seemed to forget the new beginning that happened at childbirth!To tell you the honest truth, having a new baby overwhelmed me and my husband. At first, Ellen seemed to cry almost all the time. We stressed out, and we lost a lot of sleep. If you would like to see more of my thoughts on being a new parent, see Encouragement for New Parents.
I first heard about a great parenting style known as attachment parenting when Ellen was about six months old. I read an interview with Dr. Sears in a mainstream parenting magazine and loved him. I told my husband about him. I was able to find only one book by him in the library (the one about SIDS), but what he said made sense. Although we had done some things that could be considered "attachment parenting," I didn't really start understanding and applying the principles of attachment parenting until I got on the Internet in August 1996. Ellen was about 8 months old. I had a great thirst to learn more about Dr. Sears and what he taught. Some of the first search words I entered into a search engine were "Dr. Sears" and "attachment parenting." What a weight was lifted from my heart when I found out that I would not be spoiling my child if I met her needs. It was okay to follow my heart! I could nurse on demand, and I didn't have to worry about whether she ate lots of solid foods. I could nurse her to sleep, and sleep with her without feeling guilty! I found out that lots of parents did these things and that these are wonderful ways to help build a strong attachment with your child. So if you are a parent, and you've never heard of attachment parenting or just want to know more about it, it's worth looking into.
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Attachment Parenting Index![[sleeping baby]](holdingbaby.gif)
One of the things that caused us the most stress was the fact that Ellen was a high-need baby, and we did not know how right it was to try to meet her needs... we were afraid we were spoiling her. I started listening to people around me and was too afraid to listen to my heart.
