Final Thoughts

According to the eight principles of Attachment Parenting International, I'm most definitely an attachment parenting advocate and practitioner. This is the way we're raising our kids. I've written about it (I'd link the whole blog if I could) and talked about it, and, most importantly, lived it. It is what works best for our family. It is not the only holy way to raise a family. And it is not "nutters" (though that's a very cute term).  The only holy way to raise a family is to prayerfully discern what God is calling your family to do. We've done that. And we continue to do that. Attachment parenting is what we committed to do when we sought God's wisdom for our particular situation. We have also welcomed each and every baby in God's time, without tinkering with the plan through the use of NFP. We prayerfully considered what the Church allows (but doesn't require) and discerned that God's grace was sufficient and we had no grave or serious reason to delay welcoming a child. He says that complete openness and attachment parenting are mutually exclusive, and that attachment parenting is the most important of the two. They are not mutually exclusive. If attachment parenting and openness to life are God's plan for your family, God will give you the grace to live that life with abundant joy. You will not be the failure he predicts. You will work harder than you ever imagined. And you will fall asleep in prayer more nights than not.You will make heroic sacrifices of time and you will live your life outside the popular culture. But God will not abandon you and you will not fail. You will thrive. And so will your marriage. And so will your kids. It can be done. I'm not supermom. I'm a humble, sinning mom who gets up every morning and begs for strength and courage and grace and a dozen other things. But I do not need to be supermom. I have a very big God. And this abundant life is what He wants from me and this is what He helps me to do, every single day, according to His plan.