Attachment parenting: Curse or boon in the new age

I just came across an interesting article about how most parenting advice given on the internet in mostly false or factual. How did I land there? Well my daughter is stuck to me at the hip for the better part of the day and I wanted to know if it is normal for kids to be that attached to parents. Digging through multiple articles, this one just caught my attention. On the whole it looks like an advertisement of newly launched parenting website in a disguise of telling parents how all the information available on the internet is not great to follow.

So, I do agree with how internet is flooded with advice, some might be false and some might be true. But, I also feel that the internet user of today is sane enough to know which blogs to read and which to give a pass. When I look for parenting advice or tips, I look for blogs that speak to me through personal experiences. Why I am really talking about that article is because it had the term attachment parenting.

SO, let me introduce to users who do not know what attachment parenting is:

•   It aims to form an emotionally secure bond between the parents and the baby.
•   First contact immediately after birth between baby and parents.
•   Understanding your baby cry cues and responding.
•   Breastfeeding for extended period of time.
•   Baby wearing or carrying baby close to the mother’s body for most of the time.
•   Encouraging co-sleeping.
•   Raising your child through intuition and patience.

So, going back to my childhood days, I had a working mom and so though most of the things were possible, something’s had to take a backseat. Did that make me more prone to depression? No. It did not. It did not affect my mental health or life, but that was then. And why do I say such a thing. Because in those days, babies weren’t raised by nuclear family of father and mother, but by practically a village. I had my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and elder siblings available to me at all times.

So, does that mean in today’s time, it’s either attachment parenting way or the highway? Not necessarily. Human beings are marvelous creatures who adapt. They adapt to whatever situation they are put in. I do not want to put undue pressure on my working mothers that they will not have a well-rounded baby if they did not cuddle with their baby ²⁴⁄₇, but I do want to pass a very strong message to them. Spend time with your baby as soon as you are home.

Attachment parenting can neither be a curse or a boon if you learn to adapt. Imbibing even some of the principles like I have can lead to better bonding. Though I could not breastfeed my daughter for long time or I did no baby wearing, I still co-slept and followed my intuition. This was my limit of attachment parenting. You can set yours too based on how comfortable you are with it. Every parent-child relationship is unique and hence modify the best practices to match your parenting style.