Parenting style

Long before I became a parent I was certain that I knew what style of parent I was going to be. I was determined *my* children would be polite, clean up after themselves, be vegetarian, go to private school, and sleep in their own beds and rooms.

Fast forward a few years...and now that I actually have children a lot of things have changed. First off, my children don't sleep alone; we bed share and have since my eldest was a week old. And to be honest I love it! When we first began to bed share I was a bit uneasy because of all the horror stories I'd been told at the hospital about bed-sharing. But we forged ahead and it's been wonderful. As I type this my three and a half year old is sleeping apart from her father or me (as in not in the same bed) for the first time at night since my second daughter was born. So this is a monumental moment and one she requested. My Momma has a toddler bed that Ella Rose has been wanting to sleep in for a couple of years now and she worked up the courage tonight as I snuggled her to sleep in the big bed to ask me to move her to the toddler bed after she fell asleep and so I did. My younger daughter has bed-shared since her actual birthday and continues to do so tonight.

What do I like about bed-sharing? The bond. Even the cuddles during sleep become special bonding moments and even while nursing there's no sleep lost.

I'm an extended breastfeeding mom. Both my girls still nurse. The three and half year old may only do so for a few minutes a day whereas the almost 20 month old does so many, many times a day and a lot during the night. But I'm pleased both girls are doing what's best for them. The weaning process that the three year old has followed has been so gradual that I don't even remember the process beginning and mow it's nearly done. Ella Rose has done it all herself and as naturally as possible. I'm sure the same will be true for Evie Alice one day. Although I never thought I'd be nursing a three year old I'm so thankful I am. The benefits and bonding we get from it are phenomenal. Ella continues to get my antibodies and the the brain feeds from it too. I fully expect within the next six months Ella Rose will stop nursing and that will be fine by me, but must be her choice. My goal was two years old and anytime after that is just an added bonus. Extended nursing has meant that I've not had to view my one year olds as ready to separate from Mommy, allowed me the joys of nursing through pregnancy and even tandem nursing...

I fully believe in extended rear facing in the car. Ella was three when she began to forward face this is my hope for Evie too. Extended rear facing was easy and the best protective cocoon for my girls and another choice that took me by surprise.

I made both girls babyfood and have some great eaters as a result. They are vegetarian...so I did predict that move.

They were cloth diapered and early potty trained. They try to be polite, but don't clean up after themselves. In short my girls are real children and I've found my real parenting style is what works for me and that's why I'm proud to say I'm an extended rear facing,bedsharing, baby wearing, vegetarian, crunchy, attachment parent who has extended and tandem breastfed Who would have have thought... Not I, but it's what works for us and I'm glad.

Boop boop de doop!

G'Night