When Parents Split Up

I read a story the other day that was very unsettling.  It was about a couple getting divorced.  They have two daughters.  One is 18 months and still breastfeeding.  The mother does not want the father to have overnight visits with the daughter because she feels it will interfere with her vision of "attachment parenting."  She doesn't want the daughter to go with the father overnight until she has stopped breastfeeding. (Their first child weaned herself at 2 1/2 years).

I read this and just felt something was inherently unfair.  So, I researched "attachment parenting" to see if I was missing something. According to Attachment Parenting International, "The essence of Attachment Parenting is about forming and nurturing strong connections between parents and their children."
The philosphy is based on eight principles that center on nurturing children in a way that makes them feel safe, loved and cared for. They are principles like Respond with Sensitivity by building trust, Use a Nurturing Touch ( aka touch your baby alot to soothe them.  You can carry them, hug them, rub their backs etc).  Another principle is Engage in Nighttime Parenting ( aka let them sleep in your bed).  And another is Feed with Love and Respect. 

So I'm on board.  What I'm not on board with is this mother asking the court to deny her husband's request to have overnight visits. The father supports her decision to breastfeed.  He's saying they can start the process slowly by doing just one overnight visit  per week to start.   If the baby was 4 months old I might feel differently.  But at 1 1/2 she's eating solid foods.  Breastfeeding, at this point, is simply a comfort thing for her.  The father can certainly comfort her in other ways ( by doing many of the principles of "attachment parenting").  If the mother was a true believer in "attachment parenting" she would see that what's best for her daughters is to feel loved, cared for and safe in the company of both parents and her desire to deny overnight visits with the father goes against the very philosphy to which she's trying to subscribe.