Comments on: Raising Kids the Hard Way

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:59:30 +0000

It has been interesting reading about attachment parenting. We have a 7 month son, and we have done much of attachment parenting instinctively without realising it. It seems the principles are about loving and respecting your child, and consistantly showing them that. I could never bear the thought of leaving him to cry it out – and he has always settled quickly with us going up and soothing him. I carried him in a sling a lot when he was very little, and now he just gets tucked under our arm and goes about with us. However, we don’t co-sleep, and we will be sending him to a nursery. I (his mother) went back to work last month. Our parenting style has worked for us, and so it seems for our son, who is healthy, happy and sociable.

I do worry about setting up rules for parenting – parenting is hard,as the author rightly points out, and children differ and their needs differ. What works for one family may not work for another, for all sorts of valid reasons. It is easy to hold yourself up to a parenting theory and feel like a failure – a feeling which doesn’t help anybody. Being willing to be flexible, trying to have insight in to your parenting, but being kind and non-judgemental towards yourself and others is also very important. Parents need to stick together!

By: Amber

Amber — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:25:26 +0000

I agree with Attachment Parenting all the way! I had a traumatic childhood and was abused in many ways and also in many different foster care families. It affected my life in ways I cannot even begin to tell you. So the way we respond to our children and the way we love them have everything to do with who they will become and how they treat others! However, I have done a lot of self help and have also been practicing attachment parenting with my own children and love every bit of it. I am working on my own website right now about breastfeeding and am going to be putting a link to your website on it. Thankyou for sharing all this powerful, valuable information with parents. I see too often people that don’t have a clue on connecting with their own children and many times its b/c they are just repeating patterns. However, the more people can begin to connect with themselves and change the more they can connect with others- especially their own child.

By: Lorelie

Lorelie — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:42:58 +0000

Hi I am the mother of a 4 1/2 year old girl and 17 month old boy. Sleeping has always been a challenge for us. Right now it seems that the right thing to do is to let him cry for awhile and then go in and snuggle otherwise he won’t go to sleep and I end up getting angry. So rather then enter into the relm of anger and abuse, I let him cry until my heart tells me it’s time to show him the compassion he needs. It’s been really hard though making sure we find the right balance for our family. My way of looking at attachment parenting is that you should strive to do things the hard way. However, if its a choice between doing things the hard way and getting angry or doing things the easy way and keeping everyone happy, then choose to keep everyone happy and try the hard way by doing something different the next time. It’s all about problem solving and I think that striving for an attachment parenting lifestyle makes me a better parent and a better person.

By: The Attached Family

The Attached Family — Fri, 27 May 2011 21:24:57 +0000

The best way to share the story is to share the link. If you would like special permission to put the article on your website, e-mail the editor at editor@attachmentparenting.org

By: Aleks

Aleks — Thu, 26 May 2011 09:09:47 +0000

I love this article and I agree with every word. I am the mother of 5 month old boy and for all these months was trying to find ‘my way’ of being mother. We tried everything and my heart advises me: love, hug and cudle and you will be happy mother of happy baby.
I would like to also copy this article to my website. But it is blocked. Is there any option to share this article with my friends on my website?
Thanks
Aleks

By: John Farnham

John Farnham — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:44:33 +0000

I mean no disrespect, but I honestly don’t understand the whole “attachment parenting”. I am a soon to be father and believe that the “run to my babies rescue” method of perenting is a bit on the extreme side. Is it not just asserting the message of mommy and daddy come with hugs every time they get upset? I’m not trying to judge. I honestly just dont see the long-term benifits.