Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Attachment Parenting is not a bad thing and is more or less what most of us do for our own children anyways...
It's the parents that take the bits and pieces of this method of parenting and don't FULLY understand it's principles.
The ONLY reason most child care providers STRONGLY dislike the AP methods is because there really is no place in it for child care.
Like the definitions posted in the links above, the point of AP is to cultivate a strong bond between child and caregiver and we all know that creating, cultivating and perfecting this bond/attachment requires a great deal of time WITH the child as well as ALOT Of one on one attention....something most child care providers are simply unable to do.
It doesn't make AP bad nor does it create self-absorbed, entitled children IF done correctly.
It just doesn't mesh with GROUP care when the entire foundation of AP is meeting the individual child's needs based on the child's INDIVIDUAL growth and developmental patterns. Something that goes directly against the foundation of group care.
Needing to meet the group's needs as a whole is the exact opposite of the idea/concepts of Attachment Parenting and THAT is where the issue lies for child care.
It's my personal belief that anyone claiming to be raising their child according to the principles of attachment parenting but wants to enroll their child in child care is totally doing it wrong or is misunderstanding the method entirely.
I agree with this. I really think they THINK they are practicing attachment parenting, but to me, it is more like coddle parenting. I know for some, working is the only option, so they have to have daycare, but oddly enough, all my AP style parents are not those people. They are choosing to go to work for their own needs, which is fine, but I always found it odd. Maybe the parenting style is too consuming for them and they need to get away? Who knows, but I do agree that it is probably more in their head, than a parenting style they are actually following. It is definitely one of those styles that is super trendy right now.