Recently we attended a graduation party for a family member. My mother was talking about me, and all of my educational and career "accomplishments", to the mother of a friend of the graduate. After hearing of all of the "professional achievements" of my younger years, her next question to me was, "Where are you working, now?" I smiled, and said, "I work at home, raising a nine month old baby." My response was natural, spontaneous, and from the heart, and afterward, I was very proud of it! I could've said, "Oh, I don't work," or "I'm just a mom," or something to that effect. But the fact is, I DO work, very hard, to raise my son in the way my husband and I have chosen. Attachment parenting is very labor-intensive; thankfully, it is a labor of love, and the fringe benefits are extraordinary!
Many people wonder why I'm not using my degrees in some "professional" capacity. Some might even go so far as to think that my life is a "waste:" I have an advanced degree in psychology which I worked long and hard to achieve. It's difficult for some people to imagine that anyone could find satisfaction in doing "domestic" things, especially someone who has trained for a professional career, both in school and in a work setting, for as long as I have. I may be trained to be a psychotherapist, but I am called to be a mother; not only a mother, but an Attachment Parenting mama! I find more satisfaction in watching my son grow and achieve his milestones than I ever did in any class or any job. I would much rather sit on the floor and play and learn with him than sit in a stuffy office listening to someone else's problems!
Some people think that stay at home mom's have a lot of time on their hands, and all they do all day is sit around drinking soft drinks and watching soap operas. Perhaps that is the case with some people, but not with AP mamas! We don't park our children in the pack and plays and let them play by themselves all day; we're on the floor with them, helping them to learn and grow, and forming a strong attachment with them. Often, our decision to practice attachment parenting leads us to other labor-intensive choices for our babies, such as cloth diapering and making our own baby food. Our days begin early and end late, and we're busy throughout.
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