Last night we embarked on the first step of our journey to become foster care parents in hopes to adopt a child. After sitting in the meeting with other parents like us, I learned that we all had the same idea. I thought it was wonderful that so many want to open their homes and [...]
Entries from September 2008
Expanding Our Attachment
September 28th, 2008 · 5 Comments
Tags: Adoption · Principles · foster care
Control or the lack thereof
September 24th, 2008 · 3 Comments
I’ve always liked to feel in control of my life. In my pre-baby days (back in the mists of time) I used to work full time in various office environments. My desk was always tidy, my in-tray cleared by every evening, my out-tray filed away neatly. Any outstanding work issues were jotted down in my [...]
Tags: General Interest · Provide Consistent & Loving Care · Strive for Balance
It’s Not Called Permissive Parenting
September 23rd, 2008 · 2 Comments
The world is full of followers, but you’re not one of them. - JL Glass
I recently attended a seminar taught by JL Glass (he’s a very funny, charismatic speaker), and he mentioned that he tells his kids that. It got me to thinking about all of the messages we give our children, both verbally and [...]
Tags: Practice Positive Discipline
First Steps
September 22nd, 2008 · 3 Comments
So here it is. My eleven-month-old baby is taking her first steps. My fourth child and my last baby. Walking.
She, of course is delighted and high steps it all over the house, pausing to teeter uncertainly where the carpet meets the floor. When our two year old imitates her, he bends his legs comically and [...]
Tags: General Interest
The Power of Having Been Parented Well
September 20th, 2008 · 4 Comments
I goofed as a parent yesterday; I explained a scientific fact to my daughter in a way that made her feel rotten. So in the evening, I did what I always do when I feel like I need help with a parenting issue — I talked it over with my husband.
As usual, I was [...]
Tags: General Interest
Whose Kid Was That?
September 16th, 2008 · 8 Comments
I’m a parent educator. I’m a mom of four. I am an advocate for all things AP. I should be able to handle this. So, what the heck am I doing wrong?
These are the thoughts running through my head at the grocery store the other day. The store is being remodeled. It is glaringly bright, [...]
Tags: Practice Positive Discipline · Provide Consistent & Loving Care · Respond with Sensitivity
Does Attachment Parenting Pertain To Me?
September 15th, 2008 · 3 Comments
My kids are not babies. They sleep in their own rooms. They don’t breastfeed. If I wore them in a carrier, the sling would rip and my spine would snap. They have homework.
Does attachment parenting still pertain to me?
Sometimes it seems as though the API principles are geared mainly toward babies and toddlers: have the [...]
Tags: Engage in Nighttime Parenting · Feed with Love and Respect · Practice Positive Discipline · Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, & Parenting · Principles · Provide Consistent & Loving Care · Respond with Sensitivity · Siblings · Strive for Balance · Use Nurturing Touch
Who Says Kids Don’t Like Curry?
September 14th, 2008 · 6 Comments
The first time a friend offered Violet a veggie “puff,” I was puzzled. ”They’re healthy,” she explained. “They’re made from vegetables.” Why not, I wondered, just give her the actual vegetables instead?
Western culture has an unfortunate tendency toward dumbing-down food for kids. Whether it’s for the sake of convenience, or the mistaken assumption that kids won’t [...]
Tags: Feed with Love and Respect · Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, & Parenting
Compassion and attachment parenting
September 12th, 2008 · 2 Comments
After having my own children (now 7 and 2 years old) and watching them interact with other children in different situations, I’m convinced that compassion is learned by modeling the behavior. Attachment parenting is an excellent way to teach your children about compassion and what it means to consider other people around you and how your [...]
Tags: General Interest · Practice Positive Discipline
Am I Practicing Attachment Parenting?
September 11th, 2008 · 2 Comments
This is a question that I have struggled with a lot in the four-and-a-half years, since I had my first son, Ryan, and discovered there was a parenting philosophy that lined up with my parenting views. I questioned if I didn’t practice all elements of AP, could I really call myself an “attached parent?” (This [...]
Tags: General Interest · Practice Positive Discipline · Principles



