When is it actually time to cut the cord?

I can remember when I was young I would crawl into my parents bed at night if I had a bad dream or if there was too much thunder and lightening. Being with my parents during those situations always made me feel safe and secure. However this concept of being close to your parents has become a bit extreme with Dr. Bill Sears theory of attachment parenting.
                 
In Dr. Sears extreme parenting theory there are several key principles that lead to an "ideal bond between mother and child." These theories include: co-sleeping - having your baby sleep in bed with you. Breast feeding - May not seem unusual except the children are breast fed up to the ages of 4 and 5. No diapers - This way the parent is "tuned in" to their infants needs. Baby wearing - This includes wearing your baby in a sling constantly. While many of these practices are used by parents everyday, the key difference is the level of moderation used. Parents that don't practice attachment parenting may only breastfeed up to a year old, or may only "wear" their child when they need some extra hands.

Brooke and Dad sharing some "closeness"

While many parents applaud Dr. Sears for this theory saying that it "endorses the idea of maternal closeness," many criticize Dr. Sears for being anti-feminist. This claim is easy to understand, as attachment parenting is extremely demanding. Realistically it is nearly impossible for a working mother to constantly have her baby attached to her, unless she works from home and even then how would she get anything done?

Many women have no other option than to place their child in daycare while they are at work. If the child is very young many mothers pump their own breast milk to be fed to the child throughout the day. However, with attachment parenting this is technically against the rules, as there is no closeness between mother and child. It would also be against the attachment rules to place the child in daycare to begin with, as the child isn't consistently with the mother.

                   

This theory of constantly having the child attached to the mother fosters the idea of tuning into your babies needs. This includes nursing on demand, and knowing when your baby needs to use the bathroom. This may seem like something every parents learns as their child grows older, but with attachment parenting it is extremely important since the children don't wear diapers. Many parents even tune their children into a specific sound they make so that the child will use the bathroom almost on cue.

However, when does the closeness become a problem? In the article titled Sex in the Family Bed: Good Idea? the topic of co-sleeping is discussed. While having the whole family sleep in one bed may seem like a generally normal, albeit crowded, idea where does the parent's sexual life come into play? It seems many mothers  have opinions either way on this topic. Some couples move their canoodling to another room, while others do it right in the same bed as long as the children are asleep. This is one decision that the couple can only make together, no matter how many books they consult.

Overall, attachment parenting seems like it has qualities that are extremely beneficial to both mother and child. However, at what point does attachment parenting become a nuisance and debilitating to both mother and child? That's a decision only the individual can make.