Detachment parenting

Navigating the world of parenting books and advice is like making your way through a minefield: there are so many passionate opinions out there about the "right" way to rear a child which warn that if you don't follow their advice your child is going to become needy/dependent/rebellious/insecure/less intelligent/a serial killer.

So, with great trepidation, I present to you the following article on attachment parenting from the Washington Post.

Parents Who Keep Their Children Close (washingtonpost.com)

Now, I don't know about the strength of your back, but if I were to carry DOM around in a sling all the time, I'd be in chiropractic or orthopedic care for the next 20 years. Egads - she weighs almost 30 pounds. Not to mention that even though we have a king-size bed, Mr. MOM complained vociferously about the large body pillow I insisted on sleeping with throughout pregnancy - he accused me of building a fort. With a husband, me, and two cats who believe that the bed rightfully belong to them and we just occupy their space for eight or so hours each night, I don't know where we'd put her.

In one particularly interesting part of the article, a proponent of attachment parenting says that "her husband's snoring wakes the baby, so the husband has been relegated to another room." If I tried to pull that on Mr. MOM, we'd be doing business with our friendly neighborhood divorce lawyers in no time.

As one of my girlfriends points out:

It's like the people who take childproofing their houses to the extreme. If the kid never bumps his head, he's never going to learn that some surfaces are not suitable for crashing into. Nobody is saying pay no attention to your child, but as with everything in life, there is a happy medium.

I understand and am all for making a child feel secure and loved, but a large part of raising a child who can function in this difficult world in which we live is developing his or her independence. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pay attention to my child.