Anxiety Proof Parenting

 By Charity Hagains MA, LPC-S

Have you ever strolled through the self-help section of a Barnes & Nobel?  It’s an interesting place.  Books on every topic imaginable with titles that often make me scratch my head in wonder.  Most interesting to me however is that they have added a section unto itself...the Parenting Section.

As a parent of young children the parenting section is simply a way of life to me.  It was there when I went through my pregnancy and has grown in size right along with my kids.  I do not recall a time in my parenting when this section of knowledge hasn’t been at my disposal.  Such is the plight of the “modern parent.”

In all honesty these books, with their vast knowledge, were meant to help rather than hinder.  However, like many subjects, too much information is simply overwhelming.  There are so many parenting styles to choose from, so many techniques and tactics, an endless number of ways to label ourselves and our children...

who 

wouldn’t feel anxious when faced with the shelves and shelves of data?

Should I practice attachment parenting?  Should I be permissive or authoritat