By Rebekah Denn Original Source: washingtonpost.comThe first part of Paula Becker’s parenting life, when she was “exhausted but beguiled” by motherhood, is relatable for many parents. The Seattle resident immersed herself in attachment parenting after her son Hunter was born, trusting that he and his younger siblings would flourish if she made the right choices about breast-feeding, home-schooling and more.

“We loved and protected each other, read Harry Potter books, picked apples and peeled them and added sugar and cinnamon and baked them into pies,“ she writes in her new memoir, “A House on Stilts.” “People who looked at us thought, blessed children. Lucky mom and dad.”

What followed, though, was heartbreaking. After giving her children those idyllic early years, where “every day was different, and each day was rich,” her bright, loving eldest child fell into...click here to continue reading