By Megen Hibbins
Parenting the natural way is the easy-going style that allows children to reach the milestones needed in life at their own pace. It is kind of like running on hippy time: you get there when you arrive. It’s a gentle, loving attachment that fosters the emotional, physical and spiritual development of your child.
The natural parenting way is no different than what you would expect to receive as an adult in today’s society. Would you like to have your food made with love, be treated with respect and sensitivity and be able to respond to others with care? When it comes to your children, the word discipline doesn’t mean yell, scream, swear, abuse or physically harm the child. This is what we as adults would expect in life, so why wouldn’t you respect and love your child in the same positive way that you would like to be treated? We all strive for balance in our family and personal lives and this is exactly what a natural parent’s philosophy is.
This is what we as adults would expect in life, so why wouldn’t you respect and love your child in the same positive way that you would like to be treated?
As a parent, mother and wife, I have always expressed rebellion for what is termed “normal”. In today’s society, people expect a baby to cry, the terrible twos to come (and they chuck endless screaming tortuous tantrums), and for your children never to make eye contact. Why is this concept so accepted? I am no sage when it comes to parenting, but as a challenger of the norm, I have found that despite what the experts said, my two-year-old daughter was smiling (not gas) at three weeks old; each of the children have slept through the night, starting from anywhere between seven-weeks-old to 12-weeks-old (instead of feeding on demand through the night, my children fed every hour or two throughout the day and slept throughout the night); they all have amazing manners that people comment on all the time; and smiles that never fade.
So, with all this in mind, how are they fitting into the normal way of thinking? They aren’t. They are completely opposite to what is expected and taken as a normal way for children to act, and yet here are four perfectly happy, healthy, imaginative, outgoing children that others like to be around.
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