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What exactly is "natural parenting"? I think this style of parenting differs to
a degree from one person to the next, but I loved this article I found when
researching how this parenting style was defined by others:
Natural Parenting Comes
Naturally
By Dana Portwood
Had someone told me five years ago that I was a "natural
parent," I would have sputtered in protest. To me, natural parenting brought to
mind images of a woman
toting a baby
attached to her breast in public, sleeping
communally on a mattress on the floor and flaunting hairy armpits. None of those
pictures pertained to me!
Older and wiser now, I realize that I am most definitely a
natural parent. I do what comes naturally to me, and I don’t let society’s
definition of convenience or of natural family compel me to do otherwise.
I nurse my babies, but they sleep in their own beds most
nights. I used cloth diapers at home but felt no guilt when I sent my children
to church or their grandparents’ home in disposables. My children ate
pureed
peas when I had time and Gerber when I didn’t. I homeschool, stay at home, read
out loud and discipline when necessary.
I am not certain when or how I became a natural parent.
Perhaps it was when conventional medicine told me that I couldn’t, wouldn’t and
shouldn’t have babies -- but I did anyway. Perhaps it was when I determinedly
breastfed my children from my one lactating breast. It may have been when I
decided that no educational system run by our federal government could possibly
offer a superior education to my children (and certainly not one better than I
could provide on my own).
Whatever the case, here I am: a mom out of touch with
society’s issues and trends, but firm in the belief that my husband and I can
and do raise our children in the most spiritually, mentally and physically
healthy way we can.
The broad palette of natural
While most natural parents do share in common the
fact that most of us don’t “fit the mold," other practices and beliefs vary
widely from family to family. My children don’t sleep in my bed every night. In
fact, I rather encourage them to let me have my own sleeping space, but they
often climb in with me during the wee hours.
We do have a pediatrician who does know us by name, but we
only visit him after applying common sense tactics and an appropriate wait to
see if the problem is something the child’s system can naturally overcome. My
children are immunized, but probably not on the same schedule as most of their
friends.
On the other hand, yes, I serve wheat bread. We eat
gardens of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. We limit and strictly monitor
TV time. We read aloud often. We play board and card games. We engage in some
form of strenuous physical activity daily. We don’t own a single video game,
although my five-year-old knows more about the computer than I do. Are we a
natural family?
Stepping back from the mad rush
Now that I have entered the world of natural parenting,
what surprises me is how much criticism and condemnation I receive for my
actions. When did it become necessary for an entire society to dictate my
parenting standards? It doesn’t take a village to raise my children. All they
need are their very committed parents, along with occasional support from family
and friends.
So what defines a natural parent? I don’t believe it’s
necessarily specific practices of natural parenting. I would say it is an
overwhelming belief that we as parents are able to decide which method of
parenting is best for our child, regardless of social conventions. For a very
short span of time, we shift our focus from ourselves to these delightful
creatures we have brought into this world.
It’s not all about us, our careers, our convenience or our
agendas. In a "we need it and we need it now – it’s all about convenience"
society, our family has chosen to slow down, simplify and take time concerning
the things that matter. While growing up takes years, the time goes by too
quickly. I don’t want to time-crunch the moment; I want to savor it. Getting
down to the natural basics of parenting has allowed me to do just that.
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Dana Portwood, who was diagnosed with cancer at only 22
years old, is active in promoting cancer awareness among young women. Dana lives
in Florida with her husband and three daughters.
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