Kardashian describes fake wedding to Barker as “the best night of my life that I can’t remember”
Kourtney Kardashian insists her fake wedding to Travis Barker was supposed to be “real” if it weren’t for the missing marriage license. Kim Kardashian promises deeper individual storylines in Hulu’s “The Kardashians.” (11 April)
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Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker’s baby is here — which means people will probably be raving about attachment parenting again.
Kardashian, 44, has been a long-time advocate of attachment parenting, which she says she has practiced in the past. She has three children with ex Scott Disik, 40: Mason, 13; Penelope, 11; and Reign, 8.
“I did that for my last two children. We didn’t leave the house for the first 40 days,” she told Vogue in an interview in October. “Afterwards you’re super connected and I love that.”
In 2014, Kardashian told Redbook that the parenting style “came naturally” and that she “didn’t plan it.”
“When I had Mason, I just felt really connected to him and wanted to take him everywhere,” she said. “He ended up sleeping with me and I breastfed for 14 months.” (Not all bonding parents practice bed-sharing or co-sleeping. It’s important to note that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against sharing a bed with an infant to share as there is an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).)
What is attachment parenting?
Attachment education emphasizes the physical closeness between a parent and their child, as well as the parent’s responsiveness to the child’s cries or discomfort. The goal is to make the child feel safe and secure in their connection with their parents.
Attachment education emerged as a result of attachment theory, which posits that people who do not experience secure attachment early in life have difficulty forming healthy relationships later in life.
“With attachment, the child uses the primary caregiver as a secure base for exploration and, when necessary, as a refuge of security and source of comfort,” explains a 2004 study on attachment parenting.
Many attachment parents also practice carrying and breastfeeding babies to promote closeness.
Attachment parents may also practice positive discipline, using praise and rewards for good behavior and loss of privileges for bad behavior.
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What other types of parenting are there?
Attachment is not the only parenting style. Other types of parents include lawnmower, helicopter and elephant.
Lawnmower parents make a name for themselves because they “mow down” their child’s path by removing any obstacles that might cause them discomfort.
Helicopter parents tend to float, and it can stay that way even during college. Child development researchers Foster Cline and Jim Fay coined the term “helicopter parent” in 1990 for parents who may be overly involved and constantly assess risks, preventing children from developing this skill.
Elephant parents, on the other hand, provide encouragement regardless of their child’s academic or sporting success. They also value emotional safety and connection and strive not to raise their voices to their children.
Perhaps the opposite of all this are free range parents. They value giving their children independence. Free-range parents can allow their children to walk alone to school or a nearby playground to encourage independence. But it was not without controversy as others viewed it as dangerous.
What type of parent are you? Mowing machine? Helicopter? Attachment? Tiger? Free range?
Contributors: Sonja Haller, Amanda Oglesby, USA TODAY