Ugh! Babywise was the beginning of my journey to gentle parenting!
I read it, thought it had some currency, and DP and I decided that separating baby and us was the best way to go. I was not even pregnant. Fast forward, I'm preggers, studying summer semester of my psych course, first year subject. Attachment assignment. Much reading through journals. NO WAY was I going to be using ANYTHING from that damn book! I found article upon article, website upon website slamming the 'credentials' of the author of that book. I felt almost physically sick about having given that book any credit.
So, through my readings for attachment styles, attachment parenting became my new 'thing'. I read Sears' website, and then did my HypnoBirthing course (which, paradoxically, I had always intended to do, despite having subscribed to baby separation ideas!). Bang. I was finally cast on my way to gentle parenting, as well as the gentle birth that I wanted.
I came to BB looking for support for gentle birthing, and ended up finding a nice little place that supports everything gentle about parenting as well.
Never looked back. I can easily shrug off comments about rods for my back etc, because I can see and feel this fantastic spirit in my child that I nurture, instead of try to suppress. And I've got a fantastic kidlet