Finding Attachment Parenting

Posted by Barb Hacker Jan 15, 2008

While pregnant with my first child, I had a vision of what life as a mother would be like. Not only would my baby be pleasant all the time, but I would finally have time to exercise every day and keep my house clean.

When my son was born, reality struck hard and fast. I tried to deal with his constant crying by following the advice I was hearing everywhere. I’m sure you have heard it too. It goes something like this:

• "If you hold a baby too much, you’ll spoil him."
• "He’ll learn that he can sleep on his own if you let him cry it out."

I am ashamed to say that I tried this advice. When I complained to a friend that it wasn’t working, she suggested that I wasn’t letting him cry long enough. The final straw came when I let him cry for forty-five minutes and he still showed no signs of calming down.

My instincts were screaming at me that this wasn’t right. So, I began holding him most of the time and I started co-sleeping with him at night. A miraculous thing happened. He stopped crying so much. He actually became quite content.

That was my introduction to Attachment Parenting.

I have since learned that each stage brings its own challenges. There is the toddler who won’t brush his teeth, the school-aged child who won’t clean her room, and the teen who is driving past curfew.

For each parenting trouble spot, there is a method that claims to have all the answers. I am excited to explore these different parenting methods with you.

Look for my new blog posts each week. Till then, I look forward to getting to know you through my discussions and polls.