by Michelle Stein posted in Parenting

What's your parenting style"
There are helicopter parents and tiger parents. There are free-range, attachment, crunchy and positive. Silky. Hot mess. French. Heck, there are so many parenting types and sub-sets, I have a difficult time keeping them all straight.
The thing is, my style of parenting doesn't necessarily fit into a neat little box. (And I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling this way.) I mean, what mom walks through life like the women in this video"
Sometimes, I hover like a helicopter mom at the playground.
Other times, I do something on the cusp of free-range parenting -- like leave my kids in a locked car while I run into the post office.
And every once in a while, I may get a little tiger mom-ish when I know my kids can do better. I actively ignore my children at times, too, like "French-style" parents.
Most days, I feel like a hot mess -- even though I may not look like it on the outside.
Although I'm almost never a crunchy mom, I do pat myself on the back if I happen to buy something organic by accident.
I guess if I had to pick one and only one style, attachment parenting would probably be it. I breastfed my kids and didn't stop until they were between 15 and 21 months old. I (reluctantly) co-sleep with my youngest; but I didn't with my first two. Baby-wearing was a life saver for my daughters, but my son hated it. Still, I also crave, need, and take time to myself -- and I don't feel bad for ...