Parenting styles, and the judgements and unsolicited advice that come with it

I’ve not seen differences between people’s choices so clearly made visible as in parenthood.

The way you choose to handle your kid’s sleep, food, emotions, screen-time, daycare. 

I’ve also never seen an area in life where judgements about each others differences are so easily made and communicated.

Look, I have strong ideas about parenting as well. Or maybe I should say, strong intuition that I’m dedicated towards following.

I’m a fan of responsive, attachment, baby-led, natural and intuitive parenting, to throw in some terms from the field. 

This doesn’t mean I’m following any of their guidebooks. It means most of what I’ve learned about them matches my parenting style. I am my own guidebook.

I love spending a ton of time with my baby, to get to know him and attune myself more easily to his needs. This means we spend most of our days together, we co-sleep, and we are not so often far apart (yet)

I accept that my life has changed, and do not wish to ‘train’ my baby into a version of him that will make it easier for me to maintain my old lifestyle. Even when it sometimes feels hard. It’s all part of this experience, and I’m choosing every bit of it. 

I hold my baby close, when I feel he needs it, and will not push through his boundaries or let him cry it out just to ‘let him learn’ to be alone / with people he’s not (yet) comfortable with. He will do so in his own timing.

I am aware that my baby is a sovereign being, just like me, and that he is not capable of setting his boundaries / tending to his needs yet like we adults do. I see it as my task to care for that until he takes over.

‘You’re overprotective’
‘He has to learn that life is not all fun’
‘If you pick him up all the time you’ll spoil him’
‘You really have to feed him this or that now’
‘He needs to go to daycare as soon as possible to get used to other kids’
‘Put him in his own room, he needs to learn to sleep alone’

Thank you, but no thank you.

We’re all different people, with different backgrounds, circumstances, needs and kids. 

Let’s honor each other’s choices, and inspire each other by our own ways instead of judging away ✌️
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