Both of us are parents, with six sons between us, and we both were teachers with experience on the front lines, which gave us the perspective, determination and passion to begin a grassroots nonprofit organization called Attachment Parenting International. We knew in our heart of hearts that Attachment Parenting was the key to creating emotional connection and making families stronger.

From birth, perhaps before, I believe the first thing we all wished for was to be heard. When we cried as babies, we weren't crying to manipulate; we were crying because we needed something. When those cries and calls for attention went unnoticed and unanswered, we possibly retreated and found the answers within ourselves and have spent our lives wondering if anyone ever truly listens or hears us.

The magnitude of what we, as an organization, are trying to accomplish in this world is at times so overwhelming and seemingly impossible -- but then I remind myself that if Attachment Parenting International doesn't do the work, then who will?

With everything that is going on in our lives, I know that I am doing the best I can with my girls. I have beautiful children who are loving, kind and supportive. All of this is possible because their dad and I have encouraged this, no matter how difficult our lives became.

We all know which kid Mom and Dad liked best, and odds are you're thinking it's not you.

But does that really make a difference? It can, researchers say, but not always the way you might think.

Less-favored children are more likely to be using drugs, alcohol and cigarettes as teenagers, according to researchers at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

But what matters is not how the parents actually treat the children, but how the kids perceive it.

According to a position statement to be published in the September/October issue in AWHONN's Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, researchers have demonstrated that inducing labor without a medical reason increases the risks for complications for both mother and baby, and should not be done except when medically necessary, and especially not for convenience.

With all the negative stories you hear about childbirth, I think it's really important to tell people it's not always like that: It doesn't have to be a negative experience.

On June 6, Lysa and I celebrated the official 20th anniversary of Attachment Parenting International. The journey to this remarkable milestone has been a long one but full of incredible memories and remarkable people.

Since 2007, Best for Babes has stood for prevention of breast cancer and thriving so that we can bring the occurrence numbers down. Breastfeeding is one of two “lifestyle factors” associated with a “convincing decreased risk” of breast cancer—exercise is the other.  Doesn’t every mother deserve the facts and and full societal support instead of Booby Traps® to help her breastfeed successfully?!

“I am her mother, she is my baby and we are still deeply connected through my breast milk that I make for her,” Stephanie said. “I want to be in close contact with her, as much as she wants to be in close contact with me. This is what is supposed to be happening. This is how mothering and baby-rearing is supposed to be.”

[VIDEO] Diane Poole Heller interviews John Chitty about Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory and its implications for working with babies. Filmed as a part of Diane Poole Heller's Attachment Mastery program.

There is overwhelming evidence that physical punishment is both ineffective and harmful to child development. Former HuffPost Senior Columnist Lisa Belkin has argued that the word "debate" should be left out of the spanking conversation, because the science against it is so clearly one-sided.

"There aren't two sides. There is a preponderance of fact, and there are people who find it inconvenient to accept those facts," Belkin wrote in a 2012 column.

"The indictment last week of the N.F.L. player Adrian Peterson by a Texas grand jury for reckless or negligent injury to a child has set into relief the harmful disciplinary practices of some black families. Mr. Peterson used a 'switch,' a slim, leafless tree branch, to beat his 4-year-old son, raising welts on the youngster’s legs, buttocks and scrotum. This is child abuse dressed up as acceptable punishment."

Describing what you observe is happening in a non-dramatic, non-judgemental tone of voice is called "mirroring" and can be used as a positive discipline tehcnique as well as an attunement excercise in learning how to respond with sensitivity.

I think if I had had a more open, respectful communication with my mother, we would have had a better relationship. I wanted so much for her to trust me as a person and, at the same time, to feel close to her instead of feeling scared and like she was pushing me away.

If you have read the benefits of skipping spanking and time-out in favor of other ways to guide children but are not sure where to start, here are 12 alternatives that give parents and children a chance to address choices and situations with the intention to offer guidance while maintaining a positive, respectful and peaceful connection.

There are so many people whose names we don't readily know, or names we may never know -- people who are all doing their own little part in their communities, even if only in their homes, to make the world a more compassionate place for their children and future generations. Everyone of us could be Kate Frederick.