Mayim Bialik, the accomplished actress who shined in Blossom and Beaches and who now lends her comedic talents to the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory, recently spoke to Celebrity Baby Scoop about her new memoir, Beyond the Sling, and her thoughts on attachment parenting. Bialik is mom to sons Miles, 6, and Fred, 3.
According to Attachment Parenting International, the goal of attachment parenting is to raise children with a highly developed sense of empathy, compassion and connection. It's about forming a strong bond between parents and children, both during pregnancy and afterward.
Celebrity Baby Scoop asked Bialik about one of the common criticisms of attachment parenting, which is that many moms feel too overwhelmed to commit to it.
"I think that every parent feels overwhelmed and is trying to figure out the 'best' way," she responded, "But I think that in our culture we've been so trained to believe that independence from a child and having a child that is independent is 'best.' And I think that we're finally seeing a lot of scientific research supporting that being close to your baby … is beneficial for the child and for the parent."
You may not know this, but Bialik has a Ph.D. in neuroscience on top of her acting career and full-time mothering gig. According to CNN, Beyond the Sling focuses on parenting based on the science of hormones involved in parent-child bonding.
Bialik told the news source that while you don't need a neuroscience degree to be a good parent, it helps to be informed about the hormones of attachment.
As a result of her research, Bialik admits that she has come to understand the bond between parents and their children. It has also helped her become an advocate of attachment parenting and gentle discipline, which might be useful information if you're preparing for pregnancy.