Who is an AP parent?

Playful Parenting in Action!

Well I am, and I have thought about this a lot recently. I became interested in Attachment Parenting after watching the way a friend of mine parented her child. She is one of the most gentle, nurturing, calm mom I have ever been around. And she did things differently than me and it really worked. She could take her sensitive, high-needs child to the side and talk to her if she was having difficulty sharing and she came back with a better attitude. Our beginning ventures into discipline were not going well and it was interesting to me how well this worked for her. So I borrowed a few of her books and was sold on the theory, it makes sense and I've seen it work. A good friend of hers started a local AP group, but sadly had to move. So me and three other moms have started the application process for leadership. And I say process, I don't have much free time and the free time I have I can't always sit down and think.

So my husband and I are working out how Attachment Parenting will work in our family. There is this perception upon learning about AP that you have to be perfect to really be AP. And the goals are truly lofty. But there are a variety of moms in our local group from all sorts of situations who are working out how they can apply AP principles in their family. I have read some great books that have already enhanced my parenting. My absolute favorite is anything by Dr. Sears. Right now I'm reading his book The Complete Book of Christian Parenting and Child Care: A Medical and Moral Guide to Raising Happy Healthy Children . He and his wife are some of the biggest promoters of AP and it is very important to me that there are Christians involved in the movement. Our local group is mostly Christian and I do pray for our group, and that really strengthens me to know that God's will will be done. I know already I have learned things that have helped make me a more gentle and compassionate parent. I definitely can't do it without prayer.

So in reading about AP it is easy to picture a group of breastfeeding, co-sleeping, perfectly calm, always happy to be with their kids every second of the day moms. We all have our own unique struggles. I personally haven't bed-shared with Simeon, but the moms that do seem to get more sleep so we're willing to try it next time. And there are other benefits of course. And some of us had trouble breastfeeding or babywearing. Most of us are SAHM, but there are a few working moms in the group. And I think positive discipline is a big struggle for many of us, especially me! But we all want to build a bond of trust with our kids. So there may be more AP posts coming soon. There is a lot of research out there in favor of AP, and I am a science nerd at heart after all. So it isn't based on just opinions. But for me the clincher is it is working for our family, helping us to love each other and grow closer to the Lord.