Any non-AP parents out there??

[bellebud]

I don't know how to multi-quote, but if i could there are many, many posts here that say something to the effect of "I don't AP at all... I just do what worked for each of my babies" or "i parent based on the baby"... just so you guys know... that's the basis of AP. There are definitley sites and info out there that have taken AP to the extreme, but Dr. Sears, who is known as an authority on AP, really focuses on listening to the individual child. I posted on the AP thread because I've always listened to my kids needs. I have always felt that's what makes me AP, not anything else that seems to fall under an AP title.

But just to say *hi* on both threads,

we're a family of 4, (me, dh, dd7 and ds6).

we family bed... king and queen pushed together.

I cloth diapered and loved it. DS still wears pull-up (goodnights actually) at night, and it's no big deal to me they're not cloth.

Both kids fully immunized, and ds is circed.

I couldn't nurse, was very disappointed, but didn't beat myself up over it. Had the normal mommy-guilt, but did what i had to do for the health of my babies (meaning getting food into them).

I didn't have a sling for dd (didn't know about them for her), but had them for ds, and DH and I used them a lot with him and loved them.

My kids are normal, wonderful, sometimes handfulls, sometimes drive me crazy kids. they both go through stages that when they're in a good stage, I've thought "it's because of my parenting", then when they're in a not-so-good stage, i've thought "is this because of my parenting???" (nah, must be genetic from dh's side).

anyway... I just wanted to say *hi* to everyone and I mainly posted because i'd hate to see someone feel like "i can't do anything considered AP because those people are nuts and I don't want to be one of them". I think more of us are moderate in our approaches to parenting than are extreme... it's just the extreme ones are usually the loudest.

So i'd technically call myself *ap-lite* if i had to title myself. , but as you can see, i'm very similar to many people here.

 

[chobie]

chobie: I don't know where you are coming from, my posts were in general not specific and if you feel like fighting someone today---it won't be me---go have a Mickey cookie and chill out.

'

No it was very specific about AP parents. But if you want to be "adamant about your ideas and not even entertain another opinion" then go ahead.

I just get upset when people try to push the idea that their way is the best or only way and if we aren't nursing, or wearing or doing the AP thing we are not doing all we can to have happy, healthy kids

Yep, very specific indeed.

 

[lizzyd]

I read the basic ideals and principles of the AP philosophy. To sum it up very loosely, the underlying principle is the parents' desire to raise their child to be a compassionate, loving, contributing member of their family and their community. They do this by loving their child, addressing their childs needs, and providing security.

Based on that, I think pretty much every parent is an attached parent. But I don't believe that in order to do that, you need to co-sleep, Breastfeed, skip vaccines, not circumcise, etc. I hope that I am raising my child to have all of the above listed character traits. But I didn't BF because I hated it. I didn't co-sleep because she liked her crib. I didn't wear her in a sling because she has always been a big baby and it killed my back. I take her to daycare each and every day so that my DH and I can work and afford to buy her diapers, give her a roof over her head and take her to Disney. I fed her solids starting at 4 months because she was ready for them. I didn't circumcise her b/c she was a girl. But if she was a boy, she would have been circumcised. She has had her immunizations b/c I believe they are the best thign for her and I don't really buy into the autism link. I even let her cry herself to sleep a few times because I think a well-rested child leads to a healthy child and a healthy family. I held her as much as I could but I also adhered to a schedule to keep all of us sane.

I do all of those things because they are the best for my child. I surround her each and every day with love and laughter. I kiss her more times than I can count. I worry myself to sleep over her and her future. I dream big dreams about her and for her. So please tell me that doesn't make me an attached parent???

 

[4littlemonkeys]

Ok, I have to get on my soapbox about the immunizations. I am a nurse, plus I have a son with autism and yes he has had all of his shots! Immunizations do not cause autism, I believe that there is a possbility that it may bring out the markers for autism, but does NOT cause autism. Or, my other theory, when we as parents received the immuniztions as children (when there was still mercury in the shots), we may have passed on the toxins to our babies, which is why researchers are thinking autism is possibly heriditary. Now, I am getting off my soapbox. Sorry, I have had too many debates with "those" that think autism is only caused by immunizations, when the fact is, nobody knows what causes it, and we need to come together to find a cure and to treat our children now and to stop fighting about this immunization debate.
****Not wanting to start a autism debate or attachment parenting debate, just putting in my 2 cents****

Then please remember that you being a nurse does not mean that your opinion weighs more then other opinions.

I just find the "I'm a nurse so..." line to be unnecessary. Being a nurse doesn't mean you have more knowledge or education then some other people. who might also have an opinion.

Sorry it's one of my pet peeves.

And before anything is said...I'm in similar shoes as you and I will not use those shoes to justify an opinion.

 

[WDWfor5]

I read the basic ideals and principles of the AP philosophy. To sum it up very loosely, the underlying principle is the parents' desire to raise their child to be a compassionate, loving, contributing member of their family and their community. They do this by loving their child, addressing their childs needs, and providing security.
Based on that, I think pretty much every parent is an attached parent. But I don't believe that in order to do that, you need to co-sleep, Breastfeed, skip vaccines, not circumcise, etc. I hope that I am raising my child to have all of the above listed character traits. But I didn't BF because I hated it. I didn't co-sleep because she liked her crib. I didn't wear her in a sling because she has always been a big baby and it killed my back. I take her to daycare each and every day so that my DH and I can work and afford to buy her diapers, give her a roof over her head and take her to Disney. I fed her solids starting at 4 months because she was ready for them. I didn't circumcise her b/c she was a girl. But if she was a boy, she would have been circumcised. She has had her immunizations b/c I believe they are the best thign for her and I don't really buy into the autism link. I even let her cry herself to sleep a few times because I think a well-rested child leads to a healthy child and a healthy family. I held her as much as I could but I also adhered to a schedule to keep all of us sane.

I do all of those things because they are the best for my child. I surround her each and every day with love and laughter. I kiss her more times than I can count. I worry myself to sleep over her and her future. I dream big dreams about her and for her. So please tell me that doesn't make me an attached parent???

Most certainly you are an attached mother and you love your DD. However, to me AP goes beyond that to include accepting that certain things are ideal for a baby and that you are willing / want to do those things simply because they are best for your your loved baby. It means putting baby first and that includes breastfeeding (since it is still best for baby even if you would rather not). It's putting a young babies needs ahead of family schedules, conviences, etc. It includes weighing the need to work outside the house with the babies need for it's mother - such as obviously you need food, diapers, a place to live and other general life essentials but not choosing childcare in order to afford Disney, college savings, and lovely other stuff like that that most of us want but don't need.

This isn't a flame - It's obvious you love your DD but I wanted to try to offer an explanation of the philosophy. While I'm no more perfect that anyone else and I don't adhere to AP philosophy to the T, I strive for it and am defintely more AP than not. I think you got the essence of the underlying principle but the other part that to me differentiates it from just loving your child is that you put that childs needs ahead of your wants. And that willingness to put another's needs ahead of the things we want is less than common.

And while there are some AP moms who are hardcore AP or the highway, most of us are just moms who beleive that this is the best way to raise opur children. We don't run around telling other people to co-sleep, relactate, etc . I've never said that it's the only way to raise happy children and neither do most AP's moms on this board.

 

[DisneyPhD]

So i'd technically call myself *ap-lite* if i had to title myself. , but as you can see, i'm very similar to many people here.

I guess that would be me too. That was also my point in posting on this thread. I started one a few months ago that got pretty long. I think it was called "are you a crunchy or smooth mommy?" I think I took an online test that said I was "sprinkled with granola" instead of being really crunchy. That is a term often used for natural living and AP often goes hand in hand with it, but not always.

 

[jodifla]

Most certainly you are an attached mother and you love your DD. However, to me AP goes beyond that to include accepting that certain things are ideal for a baby and that you are willing / want to do those things simply because they are best for your your loved baby. It means putting baby first and that includes breastfeeding (since it is still best for baby even if you would rather not). It's putting a young babies needs ahead of family schedules, conviences, etc. It includes weighing the need to work outside the house with the babies need for it's mother - such as obviously you need food, diapers, a place to live and other general life essentials but not choosing childcare in order to afford Disney, college savings, and lovely other stuff like that that most of us want but don't need.

This isn't a flame - It's obvious you love your DD but I wanted to try to offer an explanation of the philosophy. While I'm no more perfect that anyone else and I don't adhere to AP philosophy to the T, I strive for it and am defintely more AP than not. I think you got the essence of the underlying principle but the other part that to me differentiates it from just loving your child is that you put that childs needs ahead of your wants. And that willingness to put another's needs ahead of the things we want is less than common.

And while there are some AP moms who are hardcore AP or the highway, most of us are just moms who beleive that this is the best way to raise opur children. We don't run around telling other people to co-sleep, relactate, etc . I've never said that it's the only way to raise happy children and neither do most AP's moms on this board.

ARRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To me, your post goes to the heart of the difference of AP vs. non AP. Many APers (not all, of course) think their way is superior for children.

It's not. It's just different. And IMO, it's done mainly for the mom's sense of superiority, not for the kids' well being.

 

[4littlemonkeys]

ARRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To me, your post goes to the heart of the difference of AP vs. non AP. Many APers (not all, of course) think their way is superior for children.

It's not. It's just different. And IMO, it's done mainly for the mom's sense of superiority, not for the kids' well being.

I'm sorry but you dig at her in the first sense as though she was being "typical" AP parent by claiming superiority but then you turn around and portray the typical non AP parent by belittling the value of the AP mom.

AP moms do not do it for their superiority anymore then the mom who has her child cry it out so that by 3 months they are sleeping through the night and they are now super mom because their child sleeps alone all night long.

Any type of parenting can be portrayed in such a way that it makes it look like mom is trying to be superior.

I am mostly AP. I do it for my kids. I do it for me too...there I said it. I enjoy breastfeeding, co-sleeping, child/baby wearing. I get a giggle when people learn my boys have foreskin and that they are in public without all their shots because "that's not possible". I do it because I feel that is what is best for children. The idea that it's best for children enables me to enjoy it. It's also very easy. My youngest just weaned at 3½ years old and is still co-sleeping.

I don't parent this way because I bang my chest like an ape in superiority. I parent this way because I think it's best for the kids, I enjoy it, it's fun, they enjoy it, it's easy and for me...I feel it makes me a good mom.

I know anti-AP people who are #1 mom because their kid slept through the night at 8 weeks of age. They let their kid cry it out and they the parent have won the battle and now everyone sleeps. Now hmmmm....who is bragging? The mom who has the kid in bed or the mom with the kid sleeping all night long in their own bed? It's usually the mom with the kid sleeping all night long in their own bed.

So I could easily say

Many NON-APers (not all, of course) think their way is superior for children.

It's not. It's just different. And IMO, it's done mainly for the mom's sense of superiority, not for the kids' well being.

It's just easier to be mad at those who AP. It's different and anything different that is spoken about is usually seen as though somebody is bragging.

I breastfed my daughter for 3½ YEARS. Am I bragging? Oh heck yeah! Is that really a bad thing? No. I bet it's easier for people to jump on me for breastfeeding then it is to jump on a formula mom just because what I do is socially different.

So it's all different and generalizing one type of parents because "many" but "not all" is just going to get people nowhere. And is it so wrong to believe what you are doing is right? Is it reasonable for people to assume I'm doing it for me and to make me feel good? That to me is quite unfair since while I do have some benefits...they are different from your benefits so maybe we all do it for ourselves or maybe we all just do it for how we feel is best.

 

[jodifla]

I'm sorry but you dig at her in the first sense as though she was being "typical" AP parent by claiming superiority but then you turn around and portray the typical non AP parent by belittling the value of the AP mom.

AP moms do not do it for their superiority anymore then the mom who has her child cry it out so that by 3 months they are sleeping through the night and they are now super mom because their child sleeps alone all night long.

Any type of parenting can be portrayed in such a way that it makes it look like mom is trying to be superior.

I am mostly AP. I do it for my kids. I do it for me too...there I said it. I enjoy breastfeeding, co-sleeping, child/baby wearing. I get a giggle when people learn my boys have foreskin and that they are in public without all their shots because "that's not possible". I do it because I feel that is what is best for children. The idea that it's best for children enables me to enjoy it. It's also very easy. My youngest just weaned at 3½ years old and is still co-sleeping.

I don't parent this way because I bang my chest like an ape in superiority. I parent this way because I think it's best for the kids, I enjoy it, it's fun, they enjoy it, it's easy and for me...I feel it makes me a good mom.

I know anti-AP people who are #1 mom because their kid slept through the night at 8 weeks of age. They let their kid cry it out and they the parent have won the battle and now everyone sleeps. Now hmmmm....who is bragging? The mom who has the kid in bed or the mom with the kid sleeping all night long in their own bed? It's usually the mom with the kid sleeping all night long in their own bed.

So I could easily say

Many NON-APers (not all, of course) think their way is superior for children.

It's not. It's just different. And IMO, it's done mainly for the mom's sense of superiority, not for the kids' well being.

It's just easier to be mad at those who AP. It's different and anything different that is spoken about is usually seen as though somebody is bragging.

I breastfed my daughter for 3½ YEARS. Am I bragging? Oh heck yeah! Is that really a bad thing? No. I bet it's easier for people to jump on me for breastfeeding then it is to jump on a formula mom just because what I do is socially different.

So it's all different and generalizing one type of parents because "many" but "not all" is just going to get people nowhere. And is it so wrong to believe what you are doing is right? Is it reasonable for people to assume I'm doing it for me and to make me feel good? That to me is quite unfair since while I do have some benefits...they are different from your benefits so maybe we all do it for ourselves or maybe we all just do it for how we feel is best.

To me, pretty much, everybody's kids are attached to their parents. Heck, kids love parents who don't sacrifice anything at all for them.

The crux of it to me, is that all the things that are so important to APers just isn't that important IMO in the grand scheme of things. In 20 years, it won't matter that a kid was breast fed, wore in a sling and co-slept with their parents.

Different things are important in my family. Like putting my marriage first, making sure there's plenty of money for college and retirement and health care. Because my son will sure care about that in 20 years. That's what's important for his future.

The AP stuff is nice for those it appeals to, but not worth sacrificing anything for in my book.

 

[4littlemonkeys]

In 20 years, it won't matter that a kid was breast fed, wore in a sling and co-slept with their parents.

Different things are important in my family. Like putting my marriage first, making sure there's plenty of money for college and retirement and health care. Because my son will sure care about that in 20 years. That's what's important for his future.

The AP stuff is nice for those it appeals to, but not worth sacrificing anything for in my book.

First...breastfeeding could matter in 20 years. There's a ton of literature about the benefits that are LIFE long. But I'll just stop there.

And things are different in each family. My family the family is first which means that we work well together. For us family and marriage are equal...both have tow work equally. We can't have marriage without family and we can't have family without marriage. I'm more worried about breastfeeding then college to be honest. There are loans for college but there's no magic pill for obesity and diabetes...which breastfed kids have a lower risk of. I don't need to change anything in my life with regards to college and retirement...parenting doesn't effect them. My health insurance and college payments have nothing to do with parenting and being AP.

Please remember that being AP doesn't mean we feel we are sacrificing anything.

There's 2 sides...
A stay at home mom sacrifices her future employment.
A work out of the home mom sacrifices her time with the kids.

Maybe we all make sacrifices and we just have to decide which way we want to go.

Please don't think that being an AP style mom means I'm sacraficing anything. To you I may be. But it can all be spun around.

Again it's what works for you but AP parents are just fine. We aren't doing without.

 

[tonilea]

ARRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To me, your post goes to the heart of the difference of AP vs. non AP. Many APers (not all, of course) think their way is superior for children.

It's not. It's just different. And IMO, it's done mainly for the mom's sense of superiority, not for the kids' well being.

Everyone thinks the way they parent is superior. We all want what is best for our children.

I do take issue with saying that someone who parents w/ AP tendencies does it to feel superior. That is just rude and uninformed.

 

[Feralpeg]

I had DD long before anybody was talking AP or non-AP. I did what I was able to do and what I thought was best for my DD.

I did not breast feed. I had her after I had breast cancer. The surgery made that an impossibility.

DD slept in her crib from the day I brought her home from the hospital. I had a close acquaintance who slept with her daughter until she rolled on her and smothered her. I know that it doesn't happen often, but it did happen to them. After that, I had no intention of sleeping with her as an infant. By the time she was old enough that I would have considered it safe, she was quite content to sleep in her bed. The only times she has ever slept with me was if she had a bad dream or during intense thunderstorms.

When DD was a baby, I don't know that they even had slings. I do know that I could not sit down without her sitting on my lap. I had a favorite chair. When DD was about ten, I finally had to give up the chair and move to the loveseat. She was just getting to heavy!

I was never a spanker. Normally, all it took was for DD to realize that I was upset with her and she would just crumble. I think I smacked her on the bottom once.

As far as working vs. being a SAHM, well that wasn't an option. Since I was the only parent, it was work or starve.

All in all, I think DD has turned out pretty well. I admit it was all trial and error, but I must not have made too many big errors.

IMHO, parents should raise their children the way that feels right to them. It is really not for others to judge.

 

[jodifla]

First...breastfeeding could matter in 20 years. There's a ton of literature about the benefits that are LIFE long. But I'll just stop there.

And things are different in each family. My family the family is first which means that we work well together. For us family and marriage are equal...both have tow work equally. We can't have marriage without family and we can't have family without marriage. I'm more worried about breastfeeding then college to be honest. There are loans for college but there's no magic pill for obesity and diabetes...which breastfed kids have a lower risk of. I don't need to change anything in my life with regards to college and retirement...parenting doesn't effect them. My health insurance and college payments have nothing to do with parenting and being AP.

Please remember that being AP doesn't mean we feel we are sacrificing anything.

There's 2 sides...
A stay at home mom sacrifices her future employment.
A work out of the home mom sacrifices her time with the kids.

Maybe we all make sacrifices and we just have to decide which way we want to go.

Please don't think that being an AP style mom means I'm sacraficing anything. To you I may be. But it can all be spun around.

Again it's what works for you but AP parents are just fine. We aren't doing without.

Pretty much no one in my generation was breast fed. It's no calamity. No big thing. I know the revved up PR La Leche machine wants to guilt all mothers into believing it, but really, the benefits are marginal for most kids.

And loans for college? Sure, but what parent wants to saddle their kid with a hundred grand in college loans?

Like I said, different priorities. For me, I regret every minute I spent worrying and struggling with breast-feeding the first six weeks of my child's life. Things got better the second I decided to listen to my child and my self, and stop breast feeding.

 

[mickeyfan9194]

I gotta be honest--I never even bothered with the AP thread, since that's not where my interest lies. I didn't breastfeed for a number of reasons. My kids didn't sleep with us except for nightmares/storms--my youngest couldn't stand to have anyone in the same room with him when he went to sleep, let alone share a bed. I whole-heartedly agree with vaccines, and my boys were circed. I used disposable diapers, and worked outside the home to help put a roof over our heads. I also showered them with tons of love. If that makes me a horrible mom, then I guess I'm guilty as charged. I did all those things because it made sense to me, and it worked for our family. I have been blessed with two absolutely wonderful, brilliant, caring, talented sons. Looking at them, I know I must have done something right. I'm not slamming the AP'ers--they should do what's right for their family. But don't understand coming on a thread for non-AP parents and telling us all the benefits to doing things your way. I knew all that AP stuff existed when my kids were babies, and I chose to do things differently. So what? Neither is better than the other. To each their own.

 

[DisneyPhD]

delete text?

My point of posting here was that while I do identify with AP, I am very much like most people here (and I listed it pages back.) The thread is making AP seem very "those kooky people who breast feed their kids forever and never leave them or put them down." that while it might be true a few people who are AP are like that, most aren't. Most are just normal people who as described here is just doing what they feel is best for their families.

deleted text.

Co-sleeping has its risks and must be done right. It is not for everyone, every situation or every child (even with in the same families as in my case.) That was all that was stated in the other thread. Also that more then likely in the Detroit cases (I live in Metro Detroit) there might have been other factors common in poverty that played at part. The news stories playing now are not slamming co-sleeping at all, but are to increase awareness of risks and what NOT to do and to get cribs to people who might be co-sleeping because they don't have one, but one want one.

Pretty much no one in my generation was breast fed. It's no calamity. No big thing. I know the revved up PR La Leche machine wants to guilt all mothers into believing it, but really, the benefits are marginal for most kids.

I don't know how old you are, but my older brother was born in 1960 and was breast feed, along with the rest of us all born between then and 1971. I was breast feed the longest being the youngest. I wouldn't say no one was, but it was certainly not as common.

 

[jodifla]

My point of posting here was that while I do identify with AP, I am very much like most people here (and I listed it pages back.) The thread is making AP seem very "those kooky people who breast feed their kids forever and never leave them or put them down." that while it might be true a few people who are AP are like that, most aren't. Most are just normal people who as described here is just doing what they feel is best for their families.


Co-sleeping has its risks and must be done right. It is not for everyone, every situation or every child (even with in the same families as in my case.) That was all that was stated in the other thread. Also that more then likely in the Detroit cases (I live in Metro Detroit) there might have been other factors common in poverty that played at part. The news stories playing now are not slamming co-sleeping at all, but are to increase awareness of risks and what NOT to do and to get cribs to people who might be co-sleeping because they don't have one, but one want one.



I don't know how old you are, but my older brother was born in 1960 and was breast feed, along with the rest of us all born between then and 1971. I was breast feed the longest being the youngest. I wouldn't say no one was, but it was certainly not as common.

Actually, the lead from the Detroit News clearly states they want folks to stop co-sleeping:

Two days, five babies die in their sleep

Darren A. Nichols and Joe Menard / The Detroit News
WAYNE -- Five babies were smothered to death this week while sleeping, including three who were in bed with their parents, prompting Wayne County on Wednesday to launch a campaign aimed at ending the practice of bed sharing.

County Executive Robert Ficano said that although the practice may have been passed on down generationally, it's still unsafe.

"We're trying to send out the message that we realize that this might be a family tradition or one that you feel is harmless in sleeping in with a child," Ficano said. "(But) for us, it's very obvious that this has led to the increase in the number of unfortunate deaths in Wayne County. It may be a very beloved tradition for some families to do, and (they might) not realize what they are exposing their child to."


I didn't see any news stories today....I imagine they are still investigating.

I was born in the early '60s. The Journal of Nutrition lists breastfeeding rates in the '60s at around 25 percent, and those are women who tried it at all. With the dropout rates I expect the number was even lower.

 

[graygables]

However, to me AP goes beyond that to include accepting that certain things are ideal for a baby and that you are willing / want to do those things simply because they are best for your your loved baby. It means putting baby first and that includes breastfeeding (since it is still best for baby even if you would rather not). It's putting a young babies needs ahead of family schedules, conviences, etc. It includes weighing the need to work outside the house with the babies need for it's mother - such as obviously you need food, diapers, a place to live and other general life essentials but not choosing childcare in order to afford Disney, college savings, and lovely other stuff like that that most of us want but don't need.

I think you got the essence of the underlying principle but the other part that to me differentiates it from just loving your child is that you put that childs needs ahead of your wants. And that willingness to put another's needs ahead of the things we want is less than common.

Reading this, I was immediately struck with the image of Sacagawea. Some would say she was into AP, sling, nursed, co-slept, HOWEVER, her life was not at all about baby's needs first or what is "ideal for a baby". In fact, she was INDUCED with ground up rattlesnake rattles to hurry things along with the expedition. I think it is more a difference in attitude as opposed to a difference in physical care. AP parents tend to believe that the baby is the center of the universe and life must adjust to revolve around what baby needs. Non-AP parents (which would be the majority of parents pre-1960s, BTW ) tend to believe that while children are a blessing, the world does NOT revolve around them and life goes on with them being carried along with it, much like Sacagawea.

 

[my3disneygirls]

I have not read the whole thread, but I do want to comment. I don't subscribe to any form of parenting. Every child is different and I have adapted to those differences. My first two would not go in a carrier at all. I tried and they screamed bloody murder. My last could spend the whole day on there, when not attached to my breast.

When I was working in retail a woman had this wailing infant in a carrier. Out of frustration, I went up to her and said, "give my the baby." She handed him over (which now seams crazy, I wasn't even wearing my name tag) and I walked around the store cuddling the baby. He was fine the whole time she was shopping and trying on clothes. Well she is ready to leave and is stuffing the kid back into the carrier and he starts screaming. I said to her that maybe he does not like the carrier. I was so aggrivated that she was not picking up on what he was trying to communicate to her.

You can't parent a baby with a book, course or a theory. Every child is different and needs to be treated as such. Everyone has their opinion and this is mine.

 

[dvcnewgirl]

Hmmm...I though this was a NON-AP parenting thread. Funny how the AP'ers feel the need to defend themselves here. Don't they have their own thread?

I am out of the closet I am a non-AP'r. I do not co-sleep never had, did not breast feed, do not baby wear. Am I attached to my children?? YES!! It is nice to see that some parents are like me. It is sad that women judge each other and you can't be comfortable about your own choices as a parent. I respect AP'rs choices so please respect mine.

 

[pookienoodle]

can i just ask is circumcision widely done in the U.S?
we are in the U.K where it is usually done only for religious reasons.
I also am a none AP parent.
I did breastfeed,but here in the U.K we are taught that co sleeping is very dangerous.
I did try a sling but DS just wanted to fed constantly when in it.