Your child is going to screw up. It’s inevitable, and that’s ok. But talking to a child when they’re in the wrong can either be productive and encouraging, or difficult and counterproductive. This is an attachment parenting-style strategy of how to talk to your child when they make a bad choice. Continue reading
Tag: ap
Part of being a parent is just admitting that you’re tired. Perpetually, everlastingly tired. You can be tired and completely content at the same time, of course, but oftentimes that’s not the case. We are mentally and physically exhausted. Add in a toddler meltdown or a diaper blowout, and suddenly you feel like you have been pushed over the edge.
It’s no secret that I’m a big supporter of attachment parenting, but that’s not really what this article is about. Rather than talking about what to say to your kid, or how to act, I’m asking you to look inward. Freeze for a split second and get a sense of perspective. And say a mantra to yourself.
Here are three mantras for tired parents: connect with them, memorize them, use them, and breathe. Continue reading
I want my children to grow up with a healthy emotional intelligence. Simply put, I want them to have a healthy range of emotions, know the vernacular so that they can express those feelings, and deal with unpleasant feelings in a safe way. That emotional education begins when they are still quite young and must happen regularly. Let me give you some insight into what’s working beautifully for our family! Continue reading
I realized the other day that I’ve used a baby monitor daily for three and a half years! And I don’t see myself stopping any time soon. Read on to learn how essential I find these little gadgets, even as a minimalistic AP mom, and why I can’t live without baby monitors. Continue reading
As a babywearing mama, I get a lot of different comments from people when I am out and about. Some mention how happy and cozy my baby looks, while others ask questions. It’s a challenge to answer them in a way which really explains and glorifies babywearing like it deserves. There are so many reasons why I enjoy wearing my baby, it would be impossible to explain them all to a complete stranger (although I’ve thought about making a pamphlet that I could just pass out as I walk away).
Here is a very honest list which hopefully will do justice to how wonderful it is to babywear! Continue reading
Attachment parenting doesn’t stop when your kid learns to walk. The concept of AP grows as your child does, and you adapt it over time. My oldest is now two and a half, and I’ve put pen to paper in an attempt to show you what AP looks like from a toddler mom’s perspective.
I’m so excited to have Marie Levey-Pabst write the first guest post on Real Simple Mama! Marie helps families on a regular basis with her business, Create Balance. She’s an AP mom and an ex-teacher just like me! We both feel for the working mom who wants to live an attachment parenting lifestyle. Here are Marie’s words of wisdom.
From Marie Levey-Pabst (of Create Balance: createbalancedlife.com) Continue reading
Attachment parenting: it is the foundation for this entire website, and I have become quite passionate about its advocacy. I wanted my first article to be significant, so I am giving you my definition of this parenting style as well as some other things I have learned over the last few years.
real simple parenting
First, though, I have to tell you something – don’t obsess about finding a name to give your own parenting style. No one is going to stop you on the street and ask “what parenting philosophy do you follow?” I did not even know about attachment parenting until after my first child was born, and I had obsessively read and researched everything when I was pregnant. As cliché as it may sound, I guess you could say that attachment parenting found me. Not the other way around. It’s totally OK to not have a name for what you practice.
I also have a confession. I hate the name “attachment” parenting. I guess it is my educational background that makes me think of a parent hovering around their child, wiping their nose and keeping them from experiencing anything. In the teaching world, we call that “helicopter mom” – and it is definitely a derogatory term. So my initial impression was of a paranoid germaphobic mom and a clingy, emotionally unstable child.
Nothing could be farther from the truth.
As a new dad, I love spending time with my son whenever I can, but I also have so many things to take care of around the house. We have a swing and a bouncer that I could place him in when I’m doing chores or trying to sneak in a meal for myself, but I hate just leaving him in the corner of the room while I do my things. I thought maybe I could try one of those baby carriers so I could have him close to me as I did my work. Luckily, I found the Infantino Mei Tai baby carrier. And I haven’t looked back.
