The philosophy of parenting determines children's development and the parent-child relationship. Three popular parenting programs promoted on the internet today include: attachment parenting, homeschooling, and tiger parenting. These different approaches show how parents' behavior affects children. The theoretical foundation of each style provides accurate evidence of effectiveness. The analysis of each of three programs provides details of different options and offers wide perspective of parenting methods.
The attachment parenting style strives to promptly respond to their child's needs and be sensitive and emotionally available for their child at all times. This approach focuses on enhancing parents' effects on children's development. The belief is that strong attachment to the parent helps the child become a more secure, empathic, peaceful human being. The use of this program forms a strong emotional bond for parent-child relationship (McGolerick).
The attachment theory states that children learn best when they can explore, and develop because they feel a secure attachment to a primary caregiver. Attachment parenting follows practices that create and promote this secure attachment between the child and parent (Watts). This theory has led to "breastfeeding children until the age of three or beyond, having your baby sleep in your room, if possible in your bed and ˜baby wearing' where you carry your baby with you at all times " (Barnes). .
However, the idea of spending so much time simply being with children may seem less applicable to all type of situations that parents will encounter. Some working mothers feel pressure at the unrealistic demand of intensive labor and obligations on the parents. Many working mothers have reported feeling "weighed-down and guilty when they don't feel they've upheld the principles of attachment parenting". For this reason, some believe this has led to an "age of anxiety" for modern-day mothers (Hutton).