Holidays and celebrations usually mean family get togethers and all that comes with those situations.
For many, this is a joyous time when perhaps people who rarely enjoy sharing the same space have a day or more to “live together” in some ways. What happens when the small family unit chooses to live differently than the family at large? For parents who subscribe to alternative/gentle/positive/natural/attachment whatever you call it parenting, the coming together of different styles of raising children can cause tension and frustration. Some families also have a hard time over the phone or the internet.
A few things I think cause trouble are a lack of compassionate understanding of the various “sides” and feelings of judgment and defensiveness that block communication. This happens for everyone, but it seems that the hows, whats and whys of a less typical type of parent are less known (and also, therefore, respected?). I know I wish that my family could read some of the articles that shape my parenting choices.
What follows is a rough draft of my dream list of 10 blog posts to give someone a sense of where I am currently coming from as a mother. (Yes, I reserve the right to change and learn and grow.)
***Last minute addition!***
I just found this post on the 10 RIE principles of caregiving, and it addresses all the main issues I’ve been trying to raise with my own family. I may even share it with said family…….
10 Articles to Help Understand My Parenting Aspirations
- 5 Lessons I Never Knew I Was Teaching
- Turning a Negative into a Positive
- 3 Alternatives to Saying “Good Job” (with a link to 5 Reasons to Stop Saying “Good Job”)
- One Simple Tip to Have Your Toddler Cooperating and Feeling Proud
- Teaching Children to Handle Their Emotions: As Simple as PIE
- How Do We Develop Empathy?
- 5 Benefits to Cosleeping Past Infancy
- 10 Reasons Why I Choose to Nurse My Toddler
- Astra Taylor on The Unschooled Life (video)
- Consuming Kids (trailer for video that seems like it might be helfpul)
