Maybe it is because now that I am a mother of a little girl, I'm actually proud to teach her that doing it all perfectly every day is a dangerous aspiration. On any given day, the modern mother has to let something go or she will surely be broken by the weight of all she carries. Some days that can be extra work you had expected to accomplish, other days it is letting go of parenting as perfectly as you think you should.
Monthly Links
API Links is a monthly e-newsletter to help keep parents, professionals, and others abreast of the latest news and research in Attachment Parenting and updates of API programs.
Anyone can receive API Links! Click here to subscribe.
Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life
May 21, 2015
|
May 21, 2015
All this talk about presence has made me re-examine some of the good, and bad, habits my family has fallen into. When I was a new mom, and therefore full of boundless optimism and energy, I promised my family woudl never watch television during dinner. I swore that we would use that time to talk about our day, connect with each other over world events, get reacquainted with the people we lived with day to day. Then... |
May 11, 2015
Growing up, I was one of four kids. Three of us were triplets. My did home daycare, and at any given time, we could have up to eight other children in the house. We lived in a four-bedroom home. Space was limited. Love was not. Mother of 1, Jillian Amodio thanks her momma for teaching her that a happy home is sometimes a little messy. |
May 11, 2015
Earlier this year, I started taking time each evening to write down in a journal what my best moments of the day were. Sometimes it was time spent playing with or cuddlign with my kids. And sometimes it was time without them, when I did my self-care or finally met up with a friend. Never was it doing housework or time spent on Facebook. API Leader and mother of 3, Kelly Shealer shares how motherhood gives her a sense of balance, more so than always getting the dishes washed. |
May 11, 2015
The day I became a mother, I felt a sense of purpose I had never known before. These little lives have been placed in my hands, and it is my responsibility to give them love and nourishment, all while giving them room to grow into the people they are meant to be. The responsibility can seem overwhelming, but from the beginning I had such as a strong sense of: This is what I'm meant to do. Mother of 2, Katelynne Eid encourages all mothers to build one another up, no matter their approach to parenting. |
May 1, 2015
Whether or not you choose to participate in Screen-Free Week with your family -- and whatever your approach to this event, whether a wholehearted all-or-nothing dive into a completely tech-free week or maybe dipping in a toe or two by going screen-free for a day or two and seeing what happens -- this can be a wonderful opportunity for you and your family to get creative while exploring all kinds of fun, non-tech activities. Mindfulness instructor Inga Bohnekamp shares an idea for a fun children's mindfulness exercise. |
April 24, 2015
Fifteen years -- a lot can happen in that length of time. Marriages, divorces, births, deaths, adoptions, new jobs andd big adventures can paint their way through a life like mine when so many days have gone by. It truly seems like it was just the other day that a small group of dear friends and I decided to start a local group affiliated with API in Des Moines, Iowa, USA -- only the second one in the Midwest. We were all in need of building our intentional village. |
Practice Positive Discipline
May 21, 2015
Increasingly, research confirms the efficacy of explicit training in emotional intelligence starting at a very young age. According to multiple studies, preschoolers who participate in social-emotional skills programs exhibit less aggression and anxiety and become better social problem solvers. While these outcomes may make for a more peaceful classroom environment, the benefits outlive preschool: prosocial behavior in early childhood is strongly linked with future academic performance and mental health. |
May 21, 2015
As an API Leader, I frequently give parents guidance on ways to respond to their children in different situations. But the truth is, I don't always follow my own advice. As all parents know, it's one thing to be removed from a situation and think about solutions rationally; it's quite another to deal with a public tantrum or a kid who won't go to bed when you are exhausted and frustrated. That's why it's important to have tools at your disposal to cope with these situations before they arise. |
May 1, 2015
There is another way. You don't have to spank your kids to discipline them. Or hit. Or smack. Or swat. Or slap. Or give a good whoopin'. Yeah, you'll still get angry with your children. But you don't have to do the cultural norm to raise your children to be respectful, well-behaved and with good character and moral values. There is another way. API Leader and mother of 3, Rita Brhel shares her experience in how she stopped spanking. |
April 21, 2015
Some parents misconstrue Attachment Parenting as promoting undisciplined children and martyred parents, when in actuality, Attachment Parenting has a strong basis in discipline and balance. Parents are encouraged to look at child behavior in a different perspective than a punishment-based mindset. Children need abundant nurturing and an authentic, open bond with their parents based in trust rather than in fear. That doesn't mean that AP parents never say 'no.' In fact, boundary-setting is very important to Attachment Parenting. |
April 7, 2015
"A child who obeys out of fear will only do so as long as he or she is scared. A child like this never develops an internalized sense of right and wrong without being policed by a more powerful figure." API Leader and API Reads coordinator Stephanie Petters shares her thoughts on this quote from from Love and Anger, currently being discussed through the API Reads online book club. |
April 1, 2015
Editor's PickThis week, many Tennessee children are rejoicing because it's spring break, but the time off from school may wear on the patience of some parents. A new study from Duke University warns against resorting to physical punishment. In the study of 1,000 children and mothers from 8 different countries, researchers found that maternal warmth can't dampen the anxiety and aggression connected to physical punishment. |
Respond with Sensitivity
May 21, 2015
When it comes to survival of the fittest, it’s all about your mother – at least in the squirrel world. New research from the University of Guelph shows that adaptive success in squirrels is often hidden in the genes of their mother. “Some squirrels are genetically better at being mothers than others,” said Andrew McAdam, a professor in U of G’s Department of Integrative Biology and co-author of the study published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society. |
May 18, 2015
My child, I want to say this to you: It's alright that you need me. Needing is good. Needing is natural. When you cry for me, when you wrap your arms around me, when you sigh because you feel happy in my arms...you're behaving just as you should. You are finding out where you fit in this world, discovering all there is around you and learning how to feel safe. Mother of 1, Yvette Lamb explains why she wants to reclaim need and dependence as good things in a young child. |
May 11, 2015
I am humbled by the love I see in my children's eyes, by their desire to show me who they are again and again. "Look, Mom, look at me!" they say with their words and with their bright faces turned to catch my eyes. I have been transformed by their love. API Leader and mother of 2, Leyani Redditi shares a tribute to her children for shaping her into a mother she's proud of. |
May 11, 2015
Last week, my husband and I went out to dinner and a movie, while my mom put our toddler to bed. To many families, this might not be a big deal, but no one other than me had ever put her to bed before. My mom let her stay up an hour past her usual bedtime, so my husband and I drove around until my mom texted us that our daughter was asleep and we could come in. API Leader and mother of 1, Alexis Schrader shares how giving her daughter presence helps her process her mixed emotions surrounding her toddler's budding independence. |
April 22, 2015
It wasn't until I became a parent that I truly understood the deep connection between early childhood experiences and how they affect our relationship to the earth and all living things. In my work with children, I found that many kids seem to have a natural affinity to nature, but this affinity must be nurtured, or it gets buried like so many other gifts. In this throwback post, API Cofounder Lysa Parker explains how Attachment Parenting is integral to a sustainable world. |
April 22, 2015
Today is Earth Day, which means that many of us are thinking about our environmental footprint. My 2-year-old Jacob is totally oblivious to all of the talk about saving the planet, but my 6-year-old Hannah is very interested. Mother of 2, Amber Strocel shares how Attachment Parenting helps her teach her children about caring for the planet. |
April 20, 2015
This is the true essence of mindfulness work with children and teenagers and adults alike, no matter in which setting. The basic and most important prerequisite is us being mindful ourselves, within our own lives. Only then can we be authentic and function as gentle guides for others. Mindfulness instructor Inga Bohnekamp shares her insights from the International Children's Yoga Conference in Heidelberg, Germany. |
April 1, 2015
Narcissistic individuals feel superior to others, fantasize about personal successes, and believe they deserve special treatment. When they feel humiliated, they often lash out aggressively or even violently. Unfortunately, little is known about the origins of narcissism. Such knowledge is important for designing interventions to curtail narcissistic development. Princeton University researchers demonstrate that narcissism in children is cultivated by parental overvaluation: parents believing their child to be more special and more entitled than others. |
Provide Consistent and Loving Care
May 19, 2015
I suspect that for nearly all women, soon after our first-born makes the exit out of our bodies and into the world, a "guilt cyst" begins to grow inside us -- metaphorically speaking, that is. When my first child was born, I quit my job and became a stay-at-home mom. That decision came as a surprise to me, but it felt right at the time. Mother of 2, Effie Morchi shares her struggle with guilt over balancing between her family's needs and her desire to have a career. |
April 10, 2015
Many military families face long separations as family members must be away for long-term training or deployments. As with all things, being prepared for the upcoming separation and knowing what to expect can help all members of the family weather the cycle of long-term separation. API Leader Elizabeth Pavlinsky shares tips that help her family stay connected when her husband leaves for military training or deployment. |
Use Nurturing Touch
May 15, 2015
Today is Kangaroo Care Awareness Day, a day we at NuRoo are proud to celebrate, as it highlights the importance and benefits of the practice of Kangaroo Care. More than 40 years of research has proven that in the early months of life, Kangaroo Care -- also referred to as skin-to-skin contact -- creates remarkable benefits for mom and baby. NüRoo provides the benefits, history and how-to's to safely do Kangaroo Care with your baby. |
April 28, 2015
Some of my favorite parts of the day are when my husband and I get down on the floor with our sons to wrestle and play, hearing them belly laugh. Or when I lie down for sleep with two tired, little boys snuggled tight under my arms. Mother of 2, Sarah Kuc shares how nurturing touch is a crucial part in her relationship with her adopted sons. |
Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting
May 11, 2015
The road to forming your family through adoption, and thus becoming a mother, can be long. Various interviews, paperwork, letters of reference and physician referrals that are required before you are considered eligible can make the process of becoming a parent seem tedious. As you wait and yearn to care for a child, it can become difficult to see other couples and families receive referrals or become matched. At times, the wait may seem unbearable. |
May 11, 2015
As this year's Mother's Day was approaching, I found that I was thrilled to spend time with my kids. I actively left the day free of scheduled activities so that we could be fully engaged together doing whatever came up that we enjoy. But with this excitement, there was also a touch of grief and sadness as I recognized that last year my mother passed away just a few days after Mother's Day. |
April 28, 2015
"Tell me again, Mommy," says my daughter. "Tell me about when I was born." API Leader and mother of 2, Leyani Redditi shares her Cesarean birth story, beautifully recalling how her daughter came into the world. |
Feed with Love and Respect
April 27, 2015
I always assumed I would breastfeed my kids, and I have. But I never anticipated the struggle I would have when one of them developed severe food allergies. Mother of 2, Katelynne Eid shares how food sensitivities may make breastfeeding more challenging but that they can be overcome when keeping the reasons for breastfeeding in mind. |
April 1, 2015
To say that Mary Ann Cahill was an extraordinary woman is a total understatement. While working with her on the LLLI Board of Directors and afterwards with the LLLI Alumnae Association, I was constantly amazed by new facets and new depths to her. |
- ‹ previous
- 42 of 66
- next ›