Orange County Moms Blog

Radical Parenting

I practice unconventional parenting.  I co-sleep, wear my baby, breastfeed until we (not I) decide to stop, and discipline with love (not my hand).  Apparently, I need a support group, because my style of parenting is among Discovery Health's Top Ten List of Radical Parenting Methods (did you hear me sigh?!?).

I attended a wellness event over the weekend, targeted towards expectant and new parents.  One of the exhibitors was a support group for attachment parents, which partially confused me, and mostly frustrated me. Is my way of parenting (advocated by one of the nation's most renowned pediatricians) so extreme...so far out there that I need a support group?

I firmly believe in the power of support groups.  When people with the same views, characteristics, or interests get together to share experiences, education and understanding can take place.  But according to Wikipedia, a support group is typically initiated for a group of people with a characteristic that is often "burdensome."  And the overall view of support groups is in line with this definition.  Which has me wondering, what is so burdensome about being an attachment parent?

The Motherhood Masquerade

We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin.  ~André Berthiaume, Contretemps

On the outside, everything appears to be fine..makeup flawless (covering the dark circles that reveal weeks months years of sleep deprivation), hair styled to a T (did you notice my roots are 2 years old?), freshly washed Gap jeans (I can't button them, but no one's looking right?), forgiving blouse covering an abdomen that bears the battle scars of pregnancy (i.e. stretch marks).  We arrive at our destination, fashionably (but not embarrassingly) late. And then it begins.  The crying...first one and then the other...in unison.  I'm about to join in.  But I'm the "mother." I'm supposed to keep it together. 

After 30 minutes of crying (all of us...I gave in), the baby is asleep and the toddler is in the stroller, content that he won't spend the rest of the day tied down in a car seat.  I comb through my hair with my fingers and touch up my lip gloss.  I take a deep breath and smooth out the wrinkles (lovely...she spit up...but the baby carrier will hide that).  I walk to my final destination...now unforgivably late. 

The Green Bubble

A typical day in our house begins with my son singing his own rendition of the latest nursery rhyme.  Thanks to the time change, he's waking us up about 7 am, as opposed to half past dark.  I'm certain as I write this, he'll be up bright and early tomorrow to prove me wrong.  We change his Seventh Generation diaper and go downstairs for breakfast...Organic Waffles with Agave Nectar, a banana, and Organic Rice Milk.  As our day goes along, you'll find him playing with wooden toys, reading stories with mommy, and bathing with paraben-free bubbles...if we're not out and about of course. 

Several years ago, my husband and I started making small changes to improve the health of our family and protect our planet.  We started with small steps...like changing out conventional light bulbs for CFL's (compact fluorescent light bulbs)...or replacing conventional shower heads with low-flow shower heads.  We began shopping at natural food stores and buying locally grown organic produce.  We purged any cleaning product that had "poison" or "toxic" on it.  We installed eco-friendly carpet in our home and painted the interior with low VOC paint.