Attachment Parenting.

I know a lot of people don't like to label there parenting a certain style but when it comes to parenting I have to call a spade a spade! I am most definitely an "attachment parent", I breast feed to term (until the child chooses to stop), I co-sleep until term, and I don't leave my children until they are ready for me to leave them in another's care. Why do I do this? Well firstly it is my instinct to follow the child's cues and secondly through my studies of attachment theories and through my work in mental health I have learnt how essential a secure attachment is to the life long physical and mental health of the child. My first born is a highly sensitive boy. As an infant and young child he had a very low anxiety threshold and became anxious quickly at any separation from me. He was a poor sleeper and anxious in high or even moderate stimulus environments. He is growing with confidence with leaps and bounds now but I have been very aware of his need to take it slowly and to make sure that his developing brain has not been exposed to high levels of anxiety. I like this clip on you tube which discusses the importance of secure attachments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=6bul1meciGE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D6bul1meciGE%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&app=desktop 

This article in the news paper today touches on how often young "school age" children are not ready and do not have the "adequate defenses in place" to deal with school. I was really surprised that this article was written by a headmaster. I thought it wa a great article.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/10307682/Failure-to-acknowledge-the-concept-of-readiness-in-education-this-is-the-tragedy.html