Attachment Parenting
My 30-yr-old daughter is the attachment parenting mom I always wished I was! This is the next generation of parenting at its best. She wrote this piece last week about my grand baby. I hope she will write a book one of these days.
By Briana Frederick:
I am continuously amazed by this little human's process of growing up. And how the gentleness with which we choose to parent seems to support him, and us, so well. We bed-share, by choice, since he was born. And we have all slept well and greatly enjoy it. It's had its ups and downs and moments where I want to leave him in his future bedroom and get my own darn sleep. But in favor of all our mental and emotional stability I've never forced him to do that. A couple months before he turned two - and me newly pregnant again - we weaned very quickly, gently and it was wonderfully mutually beneficial. Our sleep ever since has been extra blissful and restful.
...We weaned very quickly, gently and it was wonderfully mutually beneficial, sleep ever since has been extra blissful and restful.
Still, with the birth of another baby on the horizon I got a toddler bed a few months back and set it up next to ours. All we've done is talked about it being his bed. And joked with him when he'd get in it at random times and pretend to sleep. Several days ago he asked to sleep in his bed, and did, and has every night since. Josh and I, shocked, as we did not prompt him on our part. Maybe he'll regress to our bed, and that's okay too.
Attachment parenting is not for everyone, and that is totally okay. But I just want to share because I am amazed. And to let some people who may believe otherwise know that no, given the choice, kids that are breastfed and bed share will not be doing that until they are 16. People grow up, but of force or gentleness, and I have faith in the latter.
