It seems as if every day, there is a new parenting hack, trend, or style circulating on the internet. You go through comment sections and see all the mom’s vehemently debating why their parenting style is the best and how everyone else is “wrong.”
Naturally, it can quickly become overwhelming because you become overloaded with information. After all, parents just want what is best for their children.
Yet still, you have a difficult time deciding what works best due to all the conflicting information found online, especially when it comes to parenting styles. For instance, seemingly spontaneously, Tik Tok became flooded with pages of parents recording their children as they used their gentle parenting techniques.
But what other styles of parenting are there?
Whereas helicopter parenting is a style in which parents hover over their child’s every move, attachment parenting, more commonly known as koala parenting, takes it a step further. It is quite the literal and physical attachment to your children, in which they always have to be held and close to you.
Take, for instance, those children constantly clinging to their mom or dad. They cling to their legs and allow themselves to be dragged across the floor. Essentially, this parenting style revolves around attachment to your children based on physical contact.
This is why this parenting style is likened to koalas, as koalas stay inside their mom’s pouch for roughly the first six months of their life and then ride on their backs until they can move independently.
While koala parenting may seem unbearable for some parents, others believe this to be a form of secure attachment, as it fosters feelings of security while also giving the liberty for children to be independent when they choose to be.
It is important to note that all children have diverse personalities, and what parenting style works for one may not work for another. For example, one child may flourish in an environment where they are always close to their parents. This provides them with the safe space they feel they need to explore the world. On the other hand, some children would rather be alone and learn things on their own.
In the end, it is up to parents to truly evaluate the situation and figure out which techniques work best while parenting their children.