the sweet, natural life
When I gave birth to a wee little boy, I knew I had to start researching. To learn how to bring this little boy to the world and how to bring the world to this little boy. I wanted him to be able to express his feelings with all his heart. I wanted him to have what he needed to process his ups and downs without the baggage that so many men grow up with.
Little did we know, on that first day, that he is a very sensitive boy. As in autistic sensitive (not autistic but that sensitive) which we learned through a brief, informal consult with G. Neufeld. Thus making my goals even more important and challenging! Liam, aka Wrinkles, is a beautiful and lovely little soul. The more I get to know him and be his Mom, aka Momony (another Liam-ism), the more I cherish him and learn to help him grow into that big-hearted, open soul.
My little boy led me to look for natural parenting resources because I couldn’t just wing it or ‘get by’ with the mainstream parenting blathering. There is such beauty in finding something that helps me be more truly me AND raise my wee ones to their fullest potential. That deep beauty is on the scale of digging in my own dirt and planting my own garden, building our own wee, snug house, or baking bread and making soup to nourish my family. It’s in my bones, in our evolution and I am relearning to live in that beauty.
When Rory was born we knew that she could help Liam. Help him open up more… or something. But Liam has helped me be a different Mom to Rory in her early years than Liam had, through learning more about attachment and natural parenting. There are some sweet women in my life right now who are pregnant and whom I am living vicariously through. I think back to being pregnant the first time and giving birth, and wishing I had more exposure to natural parenting resources from the beginning. So I’m going to give you my personal list of cherished alternative books. It’s a small list but they could get you started on your own journey.
parenting: Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Children’ by Sharifa Oppenheimer
birth: Spiritual Midwifery’ by Ina May Gaskin
birth: Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation by Pam England CNM MA and Rob Horowitz PhD
parenting: Hold onto your Kids by Gordon Neufeld
baby: Diaper Free!: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer
general: Child Honouring: How to Turn This World Around by Raffi Cavoukian (yeah that’s Raffi) and Sharna Olfman.
Vicariously yours,
Nat