Our June/July/August online book discussion will be Attached at the Heart (2nd edition) by Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker. To join the discussion, please click here to be taken to the GoodReads website. Our reading timeline will be as follows:
June 1-7: Intro and Chapter 1 (Charting a New Course: Breaking the Ties That Bind)
June 8-14: Chapter 2 (Principle 1: Prepare Yourself for Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting; What Every Parent Needs to Know)
June 15-21: Chapter 3 (Principle 2: Feed with Love and Respect; Beginning the Attachment Process)
June 22-28: Chapter 4 (Principle 3: Responding with Sensitivity: Learning the Language of Love)
June 29-July 5: Chapter 5 (Principle 4: Use Nurturing Touch; The Healing Power of Physical Closeness)
July 6-12: Chapter 6 ( Principle 5: Ensure Safe Sleep, Physically and Emotionally; The Critical Importance of Nighttime Needs)
July 13-19: Chapter 7 ( Principle 6: Provide Consistent, Loving Care; Keeping Baby's Attachment Secure)
July 20-26: Chapter 8 (Principle 7: Practice Positive Discipline; Be the Change You Wish to See)
July 27- August 2: Chapter 9 (Principle 8: Strive for Balance in Your Personal and Family Life; Peace Within Creates Peace at Home)
August 3-9: Chapter 10 (Nurturing Children for a Compassionate World)
August 10-16: Wrap-up
Book Description from Amazon.com:
Attached at the Heart offers readers practical parenting advice for the modern age. In its most basic form, "attachment parenting" is instinctive. A crying baby is comforted and kept close to parents for protection. If hungry, he or she is breastfed. And while it is understood that there is no such thing as perfect parenting, research suggests that there is a strong correlation between a heightened sense of respect, empathy, and affection in those children raised the "attachment parenting" way.
In this controversial book, readers will gain much needed insight into childrearing while learning to trust the intuitive knowledge of their child, ultimately building a strong foundation that will strengthen the parent-child bond.
Contrary to popular belief, "attachment parenting" has been practiced in one form or another since recorded history. Over the years, it had been slowly replaced by a more detached parenting style—a style that is now believed by experts to be a lead contributing factor to suicide, depression, and violence.
The concept of "attachment parenting"—a term originally coined by parenting experts William and Martha Sears—has increasingly been validated by research in many fields of study, such as child development, psychology, and neuroscience. Also known as "conscious parenting," "natural parenting," "compassionate parenting," or "empathic parenting," its goal is to stimulate optimal child development. While many attachment-parenting recommendations likely counter popular societal beliefs, authors Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker are quick to point out that the benefits outweigh the backlash of criticism that advocates of detached parenting may impose.
