Attachment Parenting Older Children, Tweens and Teens

How to Attachment Parent Older Children by Applying the 8 Ideals

Prepare for Parenting

Understand and seek out information on development. Know the social, emotional, cognitive and physical limitations of your child at each stage of childhood. Learn about how the brain develops and effective, respectful parenting for each stage of parenting preschoolers, school-agers, teens, and emerging adults.

Feed with Love and Respect

Avoid power struggles at meal times. Understand the feeding relationship and the different roles of parents and children.

Respond with Sensitivity

Avoid ignoring your child even when you are feeling angry. Use time-in. She needs hugs, encouragement, and comfort in times of distress just as she did as a baby. Get yourself calm, then get your child calm, then solve the problem. Learn empathic listening skills which are more required the older your child gets.

Use Nurturing Touch

Keep up loving non-sexual touch such as hugs, cuddles, holding hands, shoulder pats, and sitting together.

Ensure Safe Sleep Emotionally and Physically

Continue family bedrooms even in the school-age years if it works for all family members. Problem-solve bedtime issues. Be open to unique arrangements.

Provide Consistent and loving care

Aim for consistency at least 70% of the time. We are human and not 100% perfect!

Practice Positive Discipline

Use distraction, modelling, childproofing, I-statements, active listening, and problem-solving. Have more family meetings as your child gets older. Avoid all "punishment-lite" methods such as time-out, grounding, with-drawel of privileges, and taking things away. Resolve conflicts respectfully as you would with any other person.

Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life

Find time to meet your varied needs at the same time as your childs. You are important too!