API Blog – Page 30

What’s Your Parenting New Year’s Resolution?

2010 Happy New Year!

Today is the day that millions of people around the world make a New Year’s Resolution. Losing weight, eating healthier, and working out more regularly are some of the more popular resolutions. I wanted to find out what parenting-related New Year’s Resolutions the AP community is going to make this year.

The following are a few of the responses that I received from API staff, the blogging team, and a few regular readers of API Speaks.

Jennifer
This year I am resolving to try to admit when I am wrong, including to my kids. I am also resolving to make more of an effort to include my kids in  the housework, even when it would be faster and easier and more efficient to just do it myself.

Kate
My resolution is to attend La Leche League meetings as I strive to breastfeed my daughter (currently 6 months old) for at least 2 years, as well as help to promote the goodness of breastfeeding in my community!

Katie
This year, I plan to make at least 2 meals each WITH my kids, teaching them kitchen safety and food prep.

Monica
I’m holding the intention to manifest a few things in 2010 for the benefit of my daughters, ages 3 and 1. One, I’m going to incorporate more self-care into my life so that I’m not running on empty most days and better able to be fully present and nurturing in our daily interactions. I’ll call it the “Happy Mama Trickle-Down Effect”: Regular exercise. More sleep which will mean going to bed before midnight. Dedication to eating greens every day. Development of sugar alternatives for desserts. My diet is essentially my girls’ so they will have direct benefit there. And, I have a strong hunch that sleep and exercise will influence, if not fully enable, my second intention for parenting in 2010: more consistent patience with my 3 year-old.

Sonya
I will engage in more self care this year so that I can have more energy, stronger health, and be a more patient and present parent.

If you’re the resolution-making type, what is your parenting-related New Year’s Resolution?

Photo: ba1969

Looking Back: API Speaks in 2009

One of my favorite parts about the end of a year is to look back and see what happened during the previous 12 months and look ahead to what the coming year may bring me. As I looked back over API Speaks, I decided to share with you a couple of posts from each month, an API Speaks 2009 Year in Review.

JANUARY

AP in the Hospital

Last month, my 17 month old son had to stay overnight for an operation. It was a routine procedure, but I was still wracked with worry. It broke my heart when he cried for food the morning of the operation and I couldn’t give him anything. As we waited in the hospital for his surgery to begin, the nurses started bringing around breakfast and he’d point and sign ‘eat’, crying because he didn’t understand why we weren’t complying.

Weaning in the Context of AP

My son Cavanaugh is a little over two now and we recently embarked on night weaning. Night weaning then researching weaning for our API meeting last month got me thinking about breastfeeding in the Attachment Parenting community. So many of the AP mamas I know were planning on child-led weaning and many of them are changing their minds as their kids move further into toddlerhood. But a lot of us have mixed feelings about weaning, whether we decide to partially, gradually, or abruptly wean or to nurse as long as our kids feel like they need it.

FEBRUARY

Sleep Associations: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Sleep associations can be extremely powerful for babies, children, and adults. When a baby first comes into the world, he is usually able to sleep just about anywhere but doesn’t sleep for long stretches. Over time, your baby’s ability to sleep anywhere will change and sleep associations will be created.

Gently Weaning From The Pacifier

Last month, my two-year-old daughter had an MRI. She has an eye condition called strabismus, and will eventually have surgery to correct the problem. Prior to surgery, she needed the MRI to rule out any neurological causes behind the eye condition, and because she is only two, the procedure required sedation.

MARCH

When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed by Breastfeeding

My daughter has just turned two. Breastfeeding is still going strong here and we have no plans to stop yet. However, when your child turns two, you expect them to be more independent and breastfeed less. At least that was my expectation.

Breastfeeding is Not Just for Babies! The Benefits of Breastfeeding a Toddler

I loved breastfeeding my daughter when she was a newborn. Her tiny body fit within the crook of my arm, and I treasured the feeling of cradling her there as she nursed. I loved seeing her take such immense comfort from me and my milk; nursing both soothed and sustained her. It was so peaceful . . . slow summer afternoons spent with her gazing softly up at me, hands clasped at her chest as though she was holding on to the most important thing in the world.

Continue reading “Looking Back: API Speaks in 2009”

Attachment Parenting and the Holidays

The holiday season is in full swing and as families get together for celebrations, they might find themselves faced with several challenges: co-sleeping while traveling, maintaining balance with so much going on, nurturing a new baby, and much more. There have been several posts here at API Speaks related to the holidays and so today, I thought I’d compile them all in one place – Attachment Parenting and the Holidays.

Thankful – Even young children can learn how to be thankful for what they have this holiday season.

Attached During the Holiday – Learn how one family stays attached during the busy holiday season.

The Giving Tree – One mom shares her family traditions and asks you to share yours.

Creating Holiday Traditions – Every year you have the opportunity to create a new holiday tradition, what do you have planned for this year?

Attachment Parenting Makes the Holidays Easier – Babywearing leaves you with two hands free! What other ways has attachment parenting made your holiday season a little bit easier?

Holiday Expectations Denied – How do you handle it when your holiday plans don’t go as expected?

A Foundation of Trust – Santa or no Santa? Weigh in on this issue.

Guiding Children to Associate the Holiday Season with Giving – The holidays are more about giving than getting; help your children embrace this idea.

AP Picture Books Make Great Holiday Presents – What holiday list would be complete without a gift recommendation?

Ringing in the New Year – A New Year’s Resolution for each of API’s Principles of Parenting.

If you have an attachment parenting-related holiday post that you’d like to submit to API Speaks, please email apispeaks [at] attachmentparenting [dot] org.

Melissa is the mother of two children and has been an API Leader since 2004. Melissa blogs about raising eco-conscious children at Raising Them Green.

Attachment Through the Teen Years – AP Month 2009

The following post, part of the AP Month 2009 Blog Carnival, is from API Co-Founder and author of Attached at the Heart, Barbara Nicholson.

Attachment Through the Teen Years
What does Attachment Parenting look like during the teen years? Is it all smooth sailing because we did our job in early childhood, carrying our babies in slings, giving them lots of love and attention, learning about positive discipline and empathic listening? Perhaps if we could raise our children in a vacuum, with no contact with the tsunami called American culture, we might have a chance!

All families will have their challenges, whether it’s the bully on the playground, the incessant marketing that bombards us every day through TV, billboards, radio, and other media, or even the economic pressures that many families are under. Drugs and alcohol will always be a part of our teens’ exposure, no matter how we raise our children, not to mention the angst of first time relationships and raging hormones!

So here is the good news: you are way ahead when you have developed a strong trusting relationship with your children. All the things that we do with our little ones apply strongly to the teen years: keeping the lines of communication open, being a good listener, and staying firm on our boundaries.
Continue reading “Attachment Through the Teen Years – AP Month 2009”

Attachment Parenting Month 2009 Blog Carnival of Growth

Happy Attachment Parenting Month! “Attached at the Heart Through the Years” is the AP Month 2009 theme. “Attached at the Heart Through the Years” is a statement that a healthy and secure attachment between parent and child is a dynamic process that extends beyond infancy and throughout childhood. During AP Month 2009, parents are challenged to re-examine their daily activities and traditions and learn new ways to grow with each other and remain close and supportive.

API Speaks would like to reflect on, and demonstrate how, we (as parents) remained and will remain “Attached at the Heart Through the Years”. Earlier this month, we requested entries for the Attachment Parenting Month 2009 blog carnival. API received a variety of responses. Without further adieu, I present you with the Attachment Parenting Month 2009 Blog Carnival.

How Long? – House of Boys

There’s a song by the Dixie Chicks that I love. A song that I like to listen to over and over again. I like to sing it to my babies while dancing. A song that describes why I want to be an attached parent. The words speak to me and bring a calmness to my soul. The words remind me to take life slowly.

Great Expectations – The Eclectic Mom

I once knew the perfect mother. She was amazing. She absolutely beamed the glory of motherhood. Her children clustered around her, happily playing and singing, simultaneously gleefully independent and decidedly attached.

Uncovering the Truth About Cosleeping – Khoresht-e Catfish

When I became a mother I didn’t subscribe to any one parenting philosophy. I read all the books and formed my opinions when I was pregnant, but the minute Azita was born all of that went straight to the medical waste can.

Continue reading “Attachment Parenting Month 2009 Blog Carnival of Growth”

AP Month 2009 Blog Carnival of Growth

Happy Attachment Parenting Month! “Attached at the Heart Through the Years” is the theme for AP Month 2009 and a statement that healthy, secure attachments between parents and children is a dynamic process that extends throughout childhood that extends beyond infancy. During AP Month 2009, parents are challenged to re-examine their daily activities and traditions and learn new ways to grow with each other and remain close and supportive.

API Speaks would like to reflect on, and demonstrate how, we (as parents) remained and will remain “Attached at the Heart Through the Years” and one way we’re going to do that is with an Attachment Parenting Month blog carnival.

To participate in the carnival, submit a post on one or more of the following topics as we celebrate growth:

Ways in which you’ve flexed through tough transition periods
Ways in which your routines and traditions have subtly or dramatically changed to accommodate your child’s growth and maturity
Challenges you’ve faced as your child grew that you never expected and how you resolved them
Ways in which you’ve grown as a parent

To participate, simply publish a post on one of the previous topics to your blog with the following text:

This post is part of the Attachment Parenting Month blog carnival, hosted by Attachment Parenting International. Learn more about how you can stay “Attached at the Heart Through the Years” by visiting API Speaks, the blog of Attachment Parenting International.

Once your post is completed, please send an email with a link to your AP Month post to moderator AT attachmentparenting DOT org. Submissions will be accepted until Wednesday, October 14 at noon PDT. API Speaks will then link to your post on Monday, October 19. We may publish multiple posts, depending on how many submissions are received.

If you do not have a blog, but would like to submit a guest post for AP Month, please contact me at the email address above.

Growing Attached Through the Years – AP Month 2009

In October 2008, API celebrated the first annual Attachment Parenting Month (AP Month). We are already gearing up for AP Month 2009 and this year’s theme is “Growing Attached Through the Years.”

How does your family grow? With bicycle bells and hairstyling gels and jam-packed days all in a row? Tell us and join us in celebrating our second annual Attachment Parenting Month!

This year we recognize, appreciate and celebrate the long-term and multiple gifts of growth parents experience with children each day over a lifetime.

It’s easy to participate in AP Month! The whole family is encouraged to enter one or more of our featured contests to demonstrate our theme of growth. Entries are accepted now through September 30 and we’ll post our top picks for public voting during October.

About AP Month 2009 – Growing Attached Through the Years

Attachment Parenting International (API), along with the Sears family and other prominent AP supporters, will celebrate the second annual Attachment Parenting (AP) Month in October.

This year’s theme “Growing Attached Through the Years” reminds us that building healthy, secure attachments between parents and children is a dynamic process that continues through childhood and does not end in infancy.

Join the celebration! AP Month Central shows you how!

AP Month Goals

1. Unifying the AP community in celebration.
2. Supporting all parents by building their confidence and raising awareness.
3. Promoting positive, strength-based, healthy parenting as advocated by API and other AP Month sponsors.

Dr. Isabelle Fox on API Live – August 24

“Meeting Children’s Need for a Stable Caregiver”

Register now and join API Live! for a special Teleseminar on August 24 at 9PM EST / 6 PM PST as API Co-Founder and co-author of Attached at the Heart Lysa Parker and former NBC anchor Lu Hanessian stable caregiving with Dr. Isabelle Fox. Topics to be discussed include:

Bonding and Attachment
What Happens when Caregivers Change
Parental versus Substitute Care
Separation and Custody
and MORE!

You can support API’s mission and take advantage of the knowledge and experience API Live’s special guest by signing up today. Every dollar of your sign up fee goes toward education, support and outreach for parents in need. And don’t worry about last minute conflicts–everyone who signs up will receive a link to download the MP3 the week after the event.