[erinee]

It was sort of gradual for me. I was never terribly punitive, but did spank a few times when I was at my wit's end, particularly when Zach was 3, and in other ways I was much more mainstream than I am now. I think what did it for me was just being on the internet and having my eyes opened up to other ways of doing things. Zach was very high-needs, and I just sort of stumbled across Dr. Sears Parenting the FUssy Baby and High Needs Child -- it sounded like Zach, for sure, so I grabbed it, and that was my first introduction to AP. Again, I remained fairly mainstream even after reading it, but it was there in my head.

When I was pregnant with Megan, I was determined to make breastfeeding work this time and started going to LLL meetings and reading more Sears books. I learned more and more about AP from various websites. I found GMC.

The big thing that made me decide I would never again spank (and again, it didn't happen often, but I would justify it when it did happen) was when I thought, "I ask myself what Jesus would do in everything other part of my life -- why not in my parenting? I can't imagine Jesus ever spanking or yelling at a child." That was it. I never spanked again, and although I do sometimes yell, I'm getting much better and asking myself how would Jesus do this? I'm so glad God directed my thinking in that way and led me to those websites, to Dr. Sears, and eventually here to GMC where my parenting and my faith finally came together.