The first time I read Letting Go As Children Grow was before having little J and I found it quite interesting. Having read more books on parenting styles and attachment parenting in particular, I returned to this book and just devoured it the second time around. It is full of real world experiences, examples on how to implement the book’s advice, and actual modern scientific studies to back up all of the advice given.

Considering the book is about attachment parenting and the history of the ‘continuum concept‘, you might wonder why it is called Letting Go As Children Grow, but by the end you realise that by committing to this style of parenting and being as present and supportive of your children as possible, you are then able to stand back as they develop their own independence as a result.

One of the style aspects that I really like about this book is that, as well as providing historical and scientific context to the lessons it teaches, it also provides examples of exactly how to put those methods into practise. In this way, it avoids coming across as preachy but instead holds your hand, pats it and reassures you that you are the best person to raise your kids.

This book is gold and I will be recommending it to all parents, whether they intend to homeschool or not. For me personally, it reaffirmed our course, as I feel that unschooling is a natural extension to attachment parenting.

If you want to know more about unschooling, I recommend this article, and there are also a number of excellent books, such as Teach Your Own, which I have reviewed here. Whether or not your pursue this line of thinking, this wonderful book is immensely useful and contains some excellent advice.