The Impact of Kourtney Kardashian's Attachment Parenting on Children

Kourtney Kardashian, known for her role in the popular reality show "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," recently welcomed her fourth child, Rocky, with husband Travis Barker. During her pregnancy, the 44-year-old celebrity revealed her intention to embrace attachment style parenting with her newborn. This approach emphasizes creating a strong bond between the mother and child by dedicating substantial time to the baby, along with practices like co-sleeping, joint bathing, and drug-free labor.

Notably, Kourtney has openly shared that she co-sleeps with her 10-year-old daughter, Penelope, almost every night and practiced the same with her first-born, Mason, until he turned seven. However, experts caution against following in her footsteps.

Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychologist from Beverly Hills, California, warned that such 'smothering' parenting is associated with an increased risk of children developing depression and anxiety later in life. She explained, "Depending on the psychological make-up of each child, [attachment parenting] will either make them want to continue clinging for more years than is appropriate or push them away faster because a parent has been overbearing." Both of these scenarios can lead to emotional issues in adulthood.

Other experts caution that attachment parenting can set unrealistic expectations for parents and leave children ill-prepared for independence. Dr. Jephtha Tausig, a clinical psychologist in New York City, points out that continuous parental presence is impractical, as parents cannot be perfectly responsive to their child all the time. It can be beneficial, particularly as children grow older, for them to learn to delay gratification, which is essential for developing patience.

Moreover, an important concern is the known risks of co-sleeping, which is strongly discouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Bed-sharing with a baby can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) due to various safety hazards, such as the lack of protective barriers, suffocation risks, and strangulation due to soft bedding materials.

Dr. Lieberman further emphasizes that allowing children to sleep with their parents until the age of 10 can create unrealistic expectations, leaving children feeling abandoned and less important when a mother wants to share her bed with a partner.

Psychologists have coined various parenting attachment styles over the years, including authoritative, permissive, and secure. Attachment parenting was first popularized by American pediatrician Dr. William Sears, who wrote the widely acclaimed book "The Baby Book." It is built on seven key principles, starting during pregnancy and involving birth bonding, breastfeeding, baby-wearing, bed-sharing, belief in a baby's cries, caution against baby trainers, and maintaining a balance.

While proponents argue that attachment parenting nurtures a healthier, happier parent-child relationship, critics stress that it can lead to overdependence in children and heightened stress for parents. Dr. Diana Divecha, a developmental psychologist from Berkeley, California, notes that the quality of interactions between parents and children is often more important than quantity. The caregiver's emotional state and attentiveness, she explains, are crucial factors.

Dr. Lieberman underscores the importance of maintaining a balance in parental involvement, stating that too much involvement from a parent is generally better than too little. Developmental psychologists have previously cautioned against other modern parenting styles, such as "Helicopter parents," who tend to be overly protective, and "Elephant parents," who set unrealistically high expectations for their child's abilities.