Resources
Anthropologist Zoe Weston has finally compiled 17 years of research into a simple easy to read guide book - 5 Steps to World Peace: Women's Wisdom that can Change the World. Anyone serious about wanting a more peaceful world will want to read this!
We who support Attachment Parenting are familiar with John Bowlby' s definition as "the affectional tie between the infant and mother". This bond becomes internally representative of how the child will form relationships with the world. Bowlby stated that "the initial relationship between the self and others serves as blueprints for all future relationships."
We are less familiar with Reactive Attachment Disorder and ERGObaby wants to inform our readers about this condition in which individuals have difficulty forming lasting relationships. Please use this link http://www.nancythomasparenting.com/rad.htm to find out the symptoms and causes.
"If a child is not attached...does not form a loving bond with the mother...he does not develop an attachment to the rest of mankind. The unattached child literally does not have a stake in humanity." (Magid & McKelvey 1988)
The aim of the Continuum Concept, shaped by Jean Leidloff, is to raise well-integrated children who have strong self-preservation instincts and the ability to peacefully discern and articulate their needs. Leidloff observed the peaceful ways of the children while living with Stone Age Indians in South America, and has enlightened us with an alternative to the Western way of raising children through discipline, doting and parental absence in the guise of child independence. Leidloff advises keeping your child on your body at all times during the infant stages, including sleeping with your children, allowing them to have their own experiences through self-exploration, and not reacting adversely to your child's actions, but instead remaining neutral.
Peaceful Parenting for a Peaceful World
Attachment Parenting is a philosophy based on the practice of nurturing parenting methods that create strong emotional bonds, also known as 'secure attachment', between the infant and parent(s). This style of parenting encourages responsiveness to the infant or child's emotional needs, and develops trust that their emotional needs will be met. As a result, this strong attachment helps the child develop secure, empathic, peaceful, and enduring relationships.
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity - Only at Birth
This web site has a tremendous amount of information about cord blood stem cells, why they are important to our body's defenses, how they are collected, when they are frozen and how and when they can be used in the future to correct potential problems. The cord blood is extracted from the umbilical cord and placenta just after delivery, preferably while the cord is still pulsing. The cord blood contains special stem cells, building blocks of the blood and immune system and are genetically unique to each family. Collecting and freezing your newborn's cord blood is a kind of safeguard and can potentially save his or her life one day. Siblings have up to 50 % chance of being able to use the stem cells as well.
www.empoweringpeople.com and www.positivediscipline.com
Jane Nelsen wishes to change our perception of discipline to a more positive, affirming way of interacting with our children (or students - she does a lot of classroom training too). Rather than punishing a child for doing 'bad', it's the parent's responsibility to realize the deeper reason for the child's 'mis' behavior and communicate with the child as an equal. She also emphasizes fostering a connection between the child, their family and their community, giving younger members a voice to have meaningful input so they feel useful and develop a sense of belonging. This concept picks up where the Continuum Concept leaves off, around age two.
www.sign2me.com This expansive website details the importance of allowing your infant early communication through sign language. Children can begin signing as early as 6-7 months, and through using physical gesticulations they learn to integrate audio, visual and kinesthetic learning. In addition, Joseph Garcia states that sign language provides a multitude of benefits, including "... reduced frustration for parent and child, a stronger parent-child bond, and accelerated verbal-language development."
Research has shown that when you sign with your baby before verbal language begins your
child will:
- Be less frustrated
- Actually speak earlier
- Have a higher IQ
- Develop a larger vocabulary
- Show enhanced self-esteem
- Become a better reader
Informational web sites:
www.timl.com/tt/
chat group/forum:
www.egroups.com/group/eliminationcommunication
This concept advocates that diapers are not necessary in raising infants, and helps to tune parents in to their child's intuitive signals when they need to eliminate. A normal, healthy infant is indeed aware of their bodily function of elimination and can learn to communicate from infancy so parents can respond. By using diapers, we condition and thereby train our babies to go in them. Later the child must unlearn this training. This can be a confusing and a traumatic experience for the child.
