casting off

The Pillow Fort, Bunnie Reiss

I remember reading on the janet lansbury site that if you use alternative techniques and they work, people won’t see the happy healthy baby as proof of the result of parenting techniques, but instead they will think that you have an usually ‘easy’ baby and that you some how “lucked out.’

This is so true.

Everyone here is meeting Ari for the first time and they all say things like how chill he is, how independent, how well he sleeps, how well he eats, how placid, but then they think it’s just because of his 'personality.’

Thank you, but no! if you had seen him a few months ago, there is NO WAY you would call him placid or think that we somehow won the baby lotto. He was called "his lordship” for a reason. 

People often shrug off some of the 'weird’ things I do because they are abnormal but they would be wise to pay attention because they freaking work. I mean, props! Every compliment I get I can usually trace back to something weird/alternative we have been committed to practising. 

for example:

great sleeper? happy baby, placid? Honey please, that was my hours of research and implementation of gentle sleep training and being super protective of his sleep times and the NEED babies have for sleep in terms of development and emotional happiness in the day. thank you dr marc weissbluth for teaching me this. I kiss you on the lips. That is why ari sleeps so well and is a happy baby, not by luck. (and after 2 days of him being watched by grandmother and not having his sleep schedule and going to bed late, he was back to fighting naps, and getting really upset over everything. proof in the pudding.)

naturally great eater? NOPE, hello baby led weaning! he eats loads of stuff, even if some of that is dirt and banana peels, and has great hand eye coordination. I think that is so BLW, and principles of respect and never forcing him to eat if he didn’t want to, so don’t shrug BLW off just because it’s messy!

Independent, strong, fast and moves well? that is because of RIE techniques and montessori stuff like giving him heaps of free time and letting him have freedom of movement, not using walkers, not walking him with my hands, and letting him try things and take risks. 

and how he is friendly and interested in people. I would like to think that is because we have tried to be sensitive to his feelings, and respected his emotions, and treated him like a whole person. Just like montessori, RIE, and any other good early childhood development expert would suggest. RESPECT the child and the emotions and you get a more socially and emotionally competent child. 

An (imaginary) fluxus exhibition (concept). Chose a word