CENTER TOWNSHIP | Melisa Carter-Chenoweth insists she is not attempting to deny her husband time with their youngest daughter once their divorce is finalized.
She just wants the court to deny his requests for overnight visits until 18-month-old Sarah decides she is done breast-feeding.
If the overnight visits are approved any earlier, Carter-Chenoweth fears it will interfere with her efforts at attachment parenting. This method of parenting involves breast-feeding on request, but also emphasizes carrying children, sleeping with them and a more gentle approach with discipline.
"It's about doing what's best for our girls," the 38-year-old Center Township resident said.
Mike Chenoweth said he supports his wife's efforts, but he, too, wants the opportunity to bond with his daughters.
The couple's older daughter, Lauren, was 2 1/2 years old when she weaned herself away from breast-feeding. Sarah, in the meantime, is eating solid foods and relies on breast-feeding as much, if not more, for comfort as nutrition, he said.
"There is some middle ground that can be met, should be met," he said.
Chenoweth's goal is to start slowly with one overnight visit each week with both girls. The Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines, which seek to provide the best scenario for children caught in the middle of a divorce, recommends keeping siblings together during parental visits, he said.
A hearing on the dispute was Tuesday before Porter County Magistrate James Johnson.
While the outcome of this particular dispute is up in the air, advocates of attachment parenting say the jury already is back with evidence showing this approach results in healthier and happier children.
"This is an intuitive thing between mom and baby," said Robin Joyce, president of the Hebron-based group CHOICES, or Choices in Healthy-birthing, Offering Information, Communication, Education and Support.
Mothers in this country have lost touch with their intuition as a result of so many years listening to the advice of doctors, family members and friends, she said.
The essence of attachment parenting is "forming and nurturing strong connections between parents and their children," according to Attachment Parenting International.
"Attachment Parenting challenges us as parents to treat our children with kindness, respect and dignity, and to model in our interactions with them the way we'd like them to interact with others," the group says.
While fathers are not able to share in the breast-feeding portion of attachment parenting, they are encouraged to take part by playing with their children, changing diapers, holding them and sleeping with them, Joyce said.
