A New Vision of Parenting

It's an honor for me to be a new Intent voice for parenting and family issues along with Barbara Nicholson, my friend and co-author, who will post separately.

My passion is centered on the parent/child connection, that most sacred and spiritual bond. For over fifteen years we have been working tirelessly to build a sense of community and to help educate parents around the world about the importance of early attachment relationships through our nonprofit, Attachment Parenting International (API). The vision of the organization is to help adults learn to view children in a new light, to see the world through their eyes, not ours, and treat them with respect, beginning in infancy.

Children's daily experiences with their mother and father in the first few years of life are pivotal to lifelong cognitive and emotional development . During this critical period, a child learn's her first lessons of trust, empathy and affection. When an infant or young child is secure in knowing that a loving parent will respect her feelings and comfort her when she is feeling frightened, lonely, hungry, or uncomfortable then she learns to trust them. This first trusting, loving relationship then becomes a template for the child's future adult relationships. It seems so simple but parents struggle with this everyday out of fear of spoiling their child. A child can only be spoiled when their real needs are never met.

Our society's negative attitudes toward and our treatment of children are at the root of many social ills, including violence. The lack of support and resources for parents contributes to this growing problem. The way to make lasting change, to create lasting peace in the world begins with our own awakening, to being conscious and caring in our interactions with children whether they are ours or someone else's. Every child comes into this world to love and be loved- as adults it is our sacred obligation to fullfill their emotional needs. In the process we can heal ourselves.