COVER STORY | ATTACHMENT DADDYING
But Shaun admits being an attentive parent
didn’t come naturally to him. “It took a lot of
practice to feel confident,” he says, echoing the
sentiments of many dads. “I was always asking
Melissa questions: What do I feed him? Should
I give him a bath? Can he have this thing he’s
asking for?” Now, four years into his parenting
journey, he has not only embraced his role
as dad, but now identifies as an attachment
parent.
Guided by Melissa’s gentle hand, both
Shadd parents are confident with the label. “In
our marriage, she and I are one,” says Shaun.
“When she would read something about
parenting styles, we’d talk about it openly.
Or if I did something that she felt could have
been handled differently, she would let me
know. Sometimes I was reluctant to try her
suggestions, but I quickly saw how well it
worked and how positively Zion was reacting.
I’ve easily adapted to gentle parenting.”
The term attachment parenting is a bit of a
contentious one these days. Somewhat trendy
and mostly misunderstood, even parents who
subscribe to a more gentle style of parenting
are sometimes reluctant to use the term. And
when the term is used, thoughts of hippies in
communes or Alicia Silverstone feeding her son
like a baby bird tend to be popular images. And
it X^H