Is Parenting Out Of Control?

13:15

May 14, 2012

The Time magazine cover showing a mother breastfeeding her 3-year-old has captured the attention of everyone from parent bloggers to Saturday Night Live.

But what has gone unnoticed is the serious discussion inside the magazine, on "attachment parenting," and its biggest champions, Dr. William Sears and his wife Martha.

Will Helicopter Parenting 'Land Your Kids In Therapy?'

They wrote "The Baby Book" 20 years ago, and as Time magazine reports, attachment parenting has grown so much in popularity that it has shifted mainstream ideas from raising self-sufficient kids to a style that's more about parental devotion and sacrifice.

The science is still out over whether that's better for the kids, but researcher Margaret Nelson also wonders how it impacts parents.

Do you practice attachment parenting? Tell us why or why not in our comments section or at Facebook.com/hereandnowradio.

Time Magazine: The Origins Of Attachment Parenting (subscription required)
Washington Post: Helicopter Moms, Heading For A Crash-- By Margaret Nelson

Guest:

Margaret K. Nelson, professor of sociology at Middlebury College and author of, "Parenting Out of Control: Anxious Parents in Uncertain Times"

This segment aired on May 14, 2012.