I also get invasive comments about Hanni's extreme attachment. I have one friend who is convinced that it's because I co-sleep with her. The co-sleeping thing has bugged this mom ever since she moved her own daughter to a separate bed, and she doesn't miss a chance to hint that Hanni would be better off in her own bed. Sheesh!
And that's not even starting on the comments we all get about smartness, quirkiness, grade-skips, hot-housing, private schooling, homeschooling . . .
MegMeg, I'm going to focus on the cosleeping, which may be irrelevant to others here and a bit of a tangent. I just wanted to validate your frustration, as you underlined the cosleeping issue particularly.
For full disclosure, I'm of the opinion that most pursuits should be child led, so you have full commiseration from me as a fellow co-sleeper. As with almost anything personal, I believe the decision is one made based on individual needs and a parents' expert assessment of his/her child's needs.
I type this with my 15mo son nestled against me, his hands holding onto my hair. He has a cold and has woken to nurse 4 times in the last hour. Even when healthy, he physically needs my presence to self-regulate and can't settle unless nursing or being carried. I accept that. I receive criticism for this practice--even from my husband--but my total immersion in my son's life makes me the best qualified individual to assess my son's needs. Full stop.
While I would prefer more autonomy during his sleep to pursue my own interests, I see our attachment as both mutually nurturing and as a relatively small investment in his overall development. We are from an age where it is common to seek fulfillment for our deepest needs with materialism, rather than intimacy and love. Naturally, views on co-sleeping have become perverted in a climate with a morally compromised mindset.
End commiserating rant.
