While having breakfast with friends, I began trying to explain attachment parenting. I attempted to address the issues, the loving phrases used, the expression of emotion in a caring way, and the focus on the child not the behavior. It is since then that I have realized something. Attachment parenting isn't just taking a closer look at my child and his behaviors, but it is also an examination of myself as an individual and parent.
In order for this new style of parenting to be effective, I have to change everything I've ever known. I have to delete 10 years of classroom management, 7 years of babysitting, and 4 years of behavior management as a mom. I have to forget all the things I learned watching my older sister parent her children (not that you were wrong) and all the things that common sense tells me to do. I have to dismiss those negative consequences that pop into my head, and I have to lengthen my reaction time, so I don't just react but actually decipher a thoughtful response and choice.
While eating breakfast I realized that attachment parenting is about finding myself, not just the child behind the behavior. It is about being confident in my own emotions, so that I may share them with others. It is about determining the parent I want to be, not what society wants me to be.
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