3rd Trimester: Grandparents

20 years have passed since Dr. William Sears coined the phrase “Attachment Parenting” in reference to a set of nurturing parenting practices such as breastfeeding. Yes, there is no denying it that mummas are critical to the development of a bebe. Yet secondary attachment figures including fathers and grandparents play a crucial role in shaping what a child’s perspective of what a ‘normal’ relationships are like.

The manifestation of these attachments are image of ‘love’ people carry around inside of them that consist of all the positive and negative characteristics of their childhood caretakers. Let me provide you with an image of love, fifty years strong…

11 weeks till its "Jiajia Dora and Papou Panos", Coogee, NSW, Oz 2013

11 weeks till its “Jiajia Dora and Papou Panos”, Coogee, NSW, Oz 2013

Here is one set of the Seahorse’s grandparents: my folks Dora and Peter.

Besides modeling what constitutes a ‘normal’ relationship, grandparents provide children with a sense of safety and protection, a link to their cultural heritage and family history and a companion to play and explore.

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11 weeks till its “Jiajia Dora and Papou Panos”, Coogee, NSW, Oz 2013

In more or less eleven weeks all of the Seahorse’s grandparents shall celebrate a much anticipated birth. Let the love and attachment begin!

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