I find this subject facinating too as have a very dear friend who is loosely following some of the principles of attachment parenting - child of almost 3 co-sleeps, extended bf, she and her husband are the childs only caregivers, she's never been left with other family members or friends for more than a few hours.. managed 20 minutes at a local nursery and was beside herself so they took her out.. I struggle massively to see the benefits and whilst don't not respect my friends choice of parenting it does make it difficult to spend time with her and an incredibly demanding child, I think also my biggest anxiety is I don't see any benefits to the child.
I find the statement below from the article to be absolutely contradictory to the child I see. I'm curious, perhaps in the long run she will benefit and yes she might be more 'mature' in some ways - but is that always a good thing ? and she is certainly bossy and attention seeking during conversations. However, right now the child can only be described as lacking in confidence, un-trustworthy of everyone, limited abilty to play with others and is lacks in general social skills.. obviously some is nature (shy child) etc etc but curious to know if others think some of it is to do with the style of parenting ?
"Children who are able to develop a ?Secure? attachment with their caregivers are likely to me more empathetic, play better with others, they are likely to be less aggressive, less disruptive and more mature than children with a less positive attachment. Adults who have secure attachments in their early years tend to find it far easier to develop trusting, long-term relationships with others. They are also more likely to have higher self-confidence and self-esteem, are able to develop supportive relationships with others and share their feelings and emotions"
Really interested to hear what others think or have experienced..