Natural Parenting is a broad term that encompasses many parenting practices aimed at being as natural, ecologically sustainable, and holistic as possible. It includes practices such as natural birth and breastfeeding, organic and sustainable food and consumption habits, cloth diapering or elimination communication, homeopathic and holistic family care, attachment parenting, and natural learning.
Natural Parenting is really about getting back-to-basics. These practices seem so simple and straightforward; yet American cultural and consumer trends over the past half-century have lured us away from the parenting practices that were once commonplace. Epidurals, baby formula, disposable diapers, packaged foods and imported goods, pharmaceutical-driven medicine, and efforts to enroll children in schools at increasingly younger ages may have gained popularity for their good intentions, but they have led us to unwittingly abdicate control over home, health and family, and lose touch with our own parental instincts and ancestral legacies.
Natural Parenting, then, is about recognizing the pervasiveness of our store-bought, quick-fix culture, and reconnecting with the essential elements of home and family. It is about discovering ways to shift our homes from consumption to production units. And it is about assuming personal responsibility for our family's well-being.
I am delighted to be part of the Natural Parenting Group community and I hope you will take a peek at the group's resources and forums to learn more.
