Attachment Parenting: A Testimonial

If ever I needed affirmation or example of the benefits of attachment parenting, I received it tonite.

My husband and I attended a special dinner tonite put on my our local church. It was the beginning of a new program being put on by the many volunteers at our lovely parish.

Of course, we took Naomi with us. We sat with two lovely ladies and a friendly Fanciscan brother we knew from our previous church. We have just started attending this church recently and so are quite eager to become involved.

Throughout the evening, Naomi sat in our laps. She played with toys, she snuggled with us, she smiled and giggled and shook hands with her many admirers. She ate mashed potatoes and played with a spoon (6, actually, as she kept dropping them). Manu people came up to us and said she was beautiful, lovely, a blessing. And quite a few remarked "And she's so good! My son/daughter/niece/nephew/grandchild is never so well behaved!"

Let me start by insisting that Naomi is the same as any other baby out there. She gets diaper rash. She has a fussy period in the evening. She gets frightened by the kitchen appliances. She doesn't like to sit for long periods of time. She wants mommy and cries if I'm out of sight.

So why is it that she's so good? And does that mean other babies are bad?

I have always been bothered by the phrase "a good baby". It implies that there are "bad babies", and I do not believe that is so. There are definitely babies with high needs. This does not, however, make them bad. My best friend had a high needs baby but she was one of the sweetest children I had ever met, and is so to this day.

My belief is, there is a vital and underrated factor in what makes our daughter "good". And that is her father and I. We are not goin to be held up as "Parents of the Year", nor are we to be admired or have songs written about us. We have no intentions of tooting our own horns here.

What we do, however, is the most basic and fundemental rule of any relationship: we listen.

Our daughter's cries are responded to. If she is vocalizing, we assume she is trying to tell us something. She is nursed on demand. She is put down to nap. She is changed, cuddled, carried, held, left alone, talked to, sung to, played with, helped out, and any other method of attention we can think of. Our daughter asks for our attention and we listen to her. She is not left to cry alone for longer than is absolutely necessary (say, while she is forced to sit in her car seat when we have to drive somewhere). Even in such situations, we calmly explain why it has to be thos way. Naomi knows us and trusts thay we will respond to her requests as quickly and accurately as we can.

Does that mean that we get everything right? Nope! Does that mean she only cries when she has a fixable need? Nope! Does tht mean she never gets on our nerves? Nope!

But we have made a commitment to her and ourselves, from Day 1, to do what is best for her. And for us, that meant building a strong, attached bond with Naomi so she knew she could trust us to do right by her and each other.

For us, that means breastfeeding on demand, dressing her in safe cotton clothes and unisex designs, taking her to church, reading the Bible to her, having her sit with us at meal times, bedsharing/co-sleeping, taking her to family events and social environments, responding to her cries and requests (not demands, requests), teaching her how to communicate with us, wearing her at home and outside, letting her interract with other babies, teaching her about Jesus and showing her that her parents love and care for both her and each other by showing affection (hugs, kisses, doing nice things, compliments) in front of her.

Tonite, when she started showing signs of fatigue, I put her in her carseat and rocked her slowly til she was out cold. She slept for half an hour this way, til the congregation's applause awoke her. When she started grabbing at my plate, I gave her a small spoon of mashed potatoes and let her munch on that. When she started to fidgit with boredom, I handed her toys and cooed and talked to her. When she squirmed in my lap, I passed her to Daddy. When she was restless, I put her in her sling and we walked around and rocked near the back of the room. Throughout the 2.5 hour event, she never uttered a peep.


It takes careful planning, too. We had completed the majority of our chores and I had made sure she'd had a good restful nap thoughout the day before we tried this trip. Our success was apparent in the cheerful grins and bright eyes she showed to all the others in attendance who stopped by to admire our beautiful girl.

Is being an attached parent easy? No, not always. We have had tear-filled, sleepless nights. We have had angry, frustrated rants. We have had guilty, dissappointed moments.

But the benefits? Restful sleep. Increased love and friendship. Unition of family. A cheerful, healthy baby. Oh it is so, so worth it.

Do you have any attachment testimonials? Tell me about it!