Attachment Parenting Older Children: Intuitive Discipline

Practicing attachment parenting generally leads to a great deal of research. In addition to simply wanting to be well educated about my parenting choices, I've found myself researching parenting topics regularly for many reasons. Family and friends tend to come to me for advice and information because they know I'll find the most accurate available. This led me to further research in college, focusing most of my electives in psychology and education. You'd be surprised how much a thorough knowledge of such topics helps in political advocacy, as well.

First thing is first. No, "Intuitive Discipline" is not a well known term. You didn't miss something. I am coining the term to describe how AP parents, well ... parent. AP parents are always described by what they don't do, and seem to have a hard time explaining exactly what it is they *do*. It's too simple to put into words. They use "Intuitive Discipline."

They don't think of their children as subordinates, but as other people. This changes the rules significantly. The reason they don't hit, don't spank, and don't yell (well, they try not to at least!) is that it is a disrespectful way to treat another person. That's right. They consider children to be people too, with the right to be treated with respect like any other person. If it's not acceptable for me to hit the lady next door for making rude comments to me, it's not acceptable for me to hit my child for the things he says either.

I refer to any form of purposefully inflicting pain on another as hitting here. It's not anymore acceptable for me to kick, slap, pinch, or even spank the lady next door...no matter how badly I want may want to. If you can get this far, you're ahead of most American parents. We'll call this "Non-Violent Discipline" and if this is as close to Intuitive Discipline as you ever are, you are still doing great.