Attachment Parenting

A TV actress with a PhD in neuroscience, Mayim Bialik, 36, takes on a third career as author with Tuesday's publication of "Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way" (Touchstone). Bialik, who starred in the '90s sitcom "Blossom," is a regular on CBS' Caltech comedy, "The Big Bang Theory," where she plays a nerdy neuroscientist. Bialik, who earned her degrees at UCLA, is married to her college sweetie, Michael Stone; they have two sons -- Miles, 6 1/2, and Frederick, 3 1/2. -- What is attachment parenting and why did you write the book?

Since the release of the May 21 issue of Time magazine - the one with an attractive if rather indignant-looking young motherbreast-feeding a nearly 4-year-old child on the cover - much of the country has been abuzz with both admiration and condemnation of the child-rearing philosophy called "attachment parenting. " Known for its hyper-protectiveness, not to mention its plain-old hype, attachment parenting concerns itself with issues like the benefits of home schooling, the value of "co-sleeping" and whether disposable diapers and store-bought baby food are instruments of neglect.

As a mother of three, I have a theory about parenting theories: The number of children a person has is inversely proportionate to that person's probable level of belief in parenting theories. Feed babies by the clock independent of their hunger? A few people are still believers in that, but not many. Tiger moms? Let's not even go there. No, these days the hot topic is "attachment parenting," where the philosophy runs more like: Breast-feed on demand, and seemingly forever. Have the baby in a sling hanging from you as much as possible.

Time magazine fanned the flame around the "attachment parenting" debate Thursday with its provocative cover of a young mom breast-feeding her almost 4-year-old-son. Imagine the controversy the cover would have sparked if she were feeding him vegan breast milk? Oy . The New York Times broached this topic on Room For Debate last month, pitting former child actress and attachment parenting advocate Mayim Bialik against, well, working women. In Motherhood vs. Feminism , the moderator asked: “Has women's obsession with being the perfect mother destroyed feminism?

Time magazine fanned the flame around the "attachment parenting" debate Thursday with its provocative cover of a young mom breast-feeding her almost 4-year-old-son. Imagine the controversy the cover would have sparked if she were feeding him vegan breast milk? Oy . The New York Times broached this topic on Room For Debate last month, pitting former child actress and attachment parenting advocate Mayim Bialik against, well, working women. In Motherhood vs. Feminism , the moderator asked: “Has women's obsession with being the perfect mother destroyed feminism?

Since the release of the May 21 issue of Time magazine - the one with an attractive if rather indignant-looking young motherbreast-feeding a nearly 4-year-old child on the cover - much of the country has been abuzz with both admiration and condemnation of the child-rearing philosophy called "attachment parenting. " Known for its hyper-protectiveness, not to mention its plain-old hype, attachment parenting concerns itself with issues like the benefits of home schooling, the value of "co-sleeping" and whether disposable diapers and store-bought baby food are instruments of neglect.

A woman wearing her baby in a sling across her chest like an indigenous mother in Zambia considered the selection of $130 car seat covers and $200 diaper bags at the Pump Station, a high-end boutique for breastfeeding moms in Santa Monica. Moving inland to Silver Lake, a group of new mothers compared the failings of their own 1970s-era parents -- Playpens! The horror!

Few topics get as much airtime with new parents as the subject of sleep, or lack thereof, and few topics are as polemic as sleep training. Los Angeles is home to some of the country's most noted pediatricians, but they don't all agree on how, when or even if to train your child to sleep. A study out of Australia about the effects of sleep training on children has experts and parents talking on both sides of the debate. Published in the September issue of Pediatrics, the study looks at the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in children's brains.

Mayim Bialik and her husband, Michael Stone, are getting divorced after nine years of marriage, "The Big Bang Theory" actress announced Wednesday. "After much consideration and soul-searching, Michael and I have arrived at the decision to divorce due to 'Irreconcilable Differences,'" she wrote on her blog at Kveller , a parenting website. The couple has two sons, 7-year-old Miles and 4-year-old Frederick. "The hands-on style of parenting we practice" - the onetime "Blossom" star is the author of a book on attachment parenting - "played no role in the changes that led to this decision," she wrote; "relationships are complicated no matter what style of parenting you choose.

Take that, Time magazine! The latest issue of Newsweek magazine lionizes President Obama with the headline: "The First Gay President. " The president is shown with a rainbow halo around his head - a multicolored symbol meant to underscore his beatification by the gay-rights movement. The cover arrives on newsstands and supermarket checkout stands today, less than a week after Obama announced his support for same-sex marriages. In an interview with ABC, Obama discussed how an evolution in his thought processes - including the fact that his young daughters have several schoolmates with same-sex parents - brought him to this new position.

As a mother of three, I have a theory about parenting theories: The number of children a person has is inversely proportionate to that person's probable level of belief in parenting theories. Feed babies by the clock independent of their hunger? A few people are still believers in that, but not many. Tiger moms? Let's not even go there. No, these days the hot topic is "attachment parenting," where the philosophy runs more like: Breast-feed on demand, and seemingly forever. Have the baby in a sling hanging from you as much as possible.

A TV actress with a PhD in neuroscience, Mayim Bialik, 36, takes on a third career as author with Tuesday's publication of "Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way" (Touchstone). Bialik, who starred in the '90s sitcom "Blossom," is a regular on CBS' Caltech comedy, "The Big Bang Theory," where she plays a nerdy neuroscientist. Bialik, who earned her degrees at UCLA, is married to her college sweetie, Michael Stone; they have two sons -- Miles, 6 1/2, and Frederick, 3 1/2. -- What is attachment parenting and why did you write the book?

A woman wearing her baby in a sling across her chest like an indigenous mother in Zambia considered the selection of $130 car seat covers and $200 diaper bags at the Pump Station, a high-end boutique for breastfeeding moms in Santa Monica. Moving inland to Silver Lake, a group of new mothers compared the failings of their own 1970s-era parents -- Playpens! The horror!

THANKS for that terrific article about the toll-taking anxiety of older parents ["It Takes a Guru, a Pricey Pram and a Village," June 18]. Ten years ago I had my first child and was doing everything by the book (or, rather, books). I had embraced the Resources for Infant Educarers [RIE] philosophy and was talking to my 3-month-old about everything: "Now, I'm going to take off your dirty diaper.... Now I'm going to get a new diaper.... Oh, you're crying. I see that you're sad about that."

I am a Westside mom who felt like hiding my head in the sand after reading Gina Piccalo's article ["It Takes a Guru, a Pricey Pram and a Village," June 18]. Pre-baby, I had a thriving career and a couple of master's degrees under my belt. I embarked on motherhood with the same intensity I applied to my job. However, I have painfully learned that the rules that applied to life pre-baby do not relate to motherhood. The dark underbelly of Professional Motherhood is the bottomless pit of guilt and anxiety.