Prioritized Parenting...

Have you seen or heard about that Times article and cover about Attachment Parenting?  Attachment Parenting is a parenting philosophy that basically says parents should be there and do everything for their children at all times: carrying them around in slings, sleeping in the same bed and nursing forever are a few of the main pillars of the philosophy.

I do not practice Attachment Parenting.

I think I practice Prioritized Parenting.  It works for me--shall I explain?

When I was pregnant with Clare I was pretty stressed out about how the quality of my parenting would change when I was the mother of three.  I was terrified of the bits of parenting that would fall through the cracks because I wouldn't be able to catch it all.

I cried about it.

Then, I got some of the best parenting advice I've ever heard (and since repeated about a thousand times).  A Mom-of-three who had two daughters in preschool with Lorien said: "You have to realize, you aren't going to be able to be the best parent to all of your children all of the time.  But you are going to be the best parent to the child who needs you the most."  Prioritized Parenting.

It made me feel so much better.  I had observed this in my parenting with Lorien and Wyatt without appreciating it.  I knew there were times where I had to give more attention to one or the other and--so far--they were turning out just fine.  Moreover, they have continued to be just fine as our family has grown.

Yesterday, I had to let Colter cry his little baby eyes out for about 7 minutes while I helped Clare and Adell set up a tea party.  Lemonaid needed to me made, ghram crackers found, plastic tea pots and cups washed--those things were more important than the baby.  Colter lied on a blanket on the living room floor and screamed while I set up a tea party for two very excited girls.  You should have heard their squeals of delight when I spread out the scrap of fabric for a table cloth.

Once the little girls were sipping "tea" with pinkies up, I settled into the difficult task of snuggling the baby.

And he was just fine.

I let the house work and dinner prep go that night.  Snuggling the baby was more important than a home cooked meal and vacuumed floor.

And all the kids who eat real food were just fine.

I still stress out about the quality of my parenting every-single-day some times but for the most part things are working out.