It is of my belief that as a society we have gone from an instinctual way of bringing up our children to a commercialized way of bringing up our children. From bottles to cribs, to fast food and public schooling, we have steered away from our parental urges and are now following an approach that seems to only benefit the destructive powers that be. We buy into the false promises of social status and convenience, and our children pay the price for it. The consequences manifest into a slew of what I will call "emotional schemas." We see depression, anxiety, suicide, co-dependence, lack of confidence, eating disorders, obesity, anger, war, homicide, personality disorders, and drug addiction just to name a few, as common circumstances in our world today. Yes, I honestly believe most problems of the world could be eradicated if we went back to nature and our instincts when it came to raising our children. Birth and childhood is where the imprinting begins. It is when the first instances of trauma occur and are played out through adulthood if not looked at and moved out of the body and mind. For babies and kids, trauma can happen for a number of reasons. Trauma just isn't being dropped on your head, as one might imagine. We have all experienced trauma, some on a greater level than others. Here are a few ways trauma can occur:
-a traumatic birth (c-section, forceps/vacuum delivery, being separated from the mother)
-being left in a crib alone
-being made to cry it out
-forced weaning off the mothers breast
-being left at daycare
-lack of touch or being held
-being fed a poor diet and developing health issues
-not making good grades in school and being led to believe that it is because you are "slow" and need to be in a "special" class
-being put on pharmaceutical drugs because you can't sit still in class
-Physical abuse. This includes being "spanked," "swatted," and "popped."
-Emotional abuse. This includes saying things like, "toughen up, big boys don't cry," and "Stop crying or i'll give you something to cry about."
These are just several examples of everyday scenarios that could potentially leave a child and/or adult feeling less than whole, which is expressed as one or more of the previous "schemas" I mentioned above.
So then, how do we create happy, healthy, thriving individuals?
They have a natural birth experience: They are not born in a cold, sterile, germ infested, environment under fluorescent lights. They are trusted to come into this world when they are ready and the mother isn't unnecessarily given induction drugs. Their birth is fully felt and welcomed. They are born as nature intended without unnecessary medical interventions. The birth is seen as perfect until there is proof that intervention is needed. As they enter the world they are held by their mother-skin to skin. They are not scooped away to get a bath or shots, or to be weighed and measured. They stay close and with mom at all times.
They are breastfed Naturel children are not forced off of their mother's breast, just as no other mammal force weans. The animal instinctually knows and weans when it is their time. The same is true for humans. The average weaning time for a child is 4-6 years of age. By forcing a child off of the mother before they are ready, we are creating a potential attachment hunger issue and showing the child that he or she cannot be trusted to do it on their own. Unfortunately, we allow society's ignorant ideas about breastfeeding determine when to wean over our own child's desire.
-a traumatic birth (c-section, forceps/vacuum delivery, being separated from the mother)
-being left in a crib alone
-being made to cry it out
-forced weaning off the mothers breast
-being left at daycare
-lack of touch or being held
-being fed a poor diet and developing health issues
-not making good grades in school and being led to believe that it is because you are "slow" and need to be in a "special" class
-being put on pharmaceutical drugs because you can't sit still in class
-Physical abuse. This includes being "spanked," "swatted," and "popped."
-Emotional abuse. This includes saying things like, "toughen up, big boys don't cry," and "Stop crying or i'll give you something to cry about."
These are just several examples of everyday scenarios that could potentially leave a child and/or adult feeling less than whole, which is expressed as one or more of the previous "schemas" I mentioned above.
So then, how do we create happy, healthy, thriving individuals?
They have a natural birth experience: They are not born in a cold, sterile, germ infested, environment under fluorescent lights. They are trusted to come into this world when they are ready and the mother isn't unnecessarily given induction drugs. Their birth is fully felt and welcomed. They are born as nature intended without unnecessary medical interventions. The birth is seen as perfect until there is proof that intervention is needed. As they enter the world they are held by their mother-skin to skin. They are not scooped away to get a bath or shots, or to be weighed and measured. They stay close and with mom at all times.
They are breastfed Naturel children are not forced off of their mother's breast, just as no other mammal force weans. The animal instinctually knows and weans when it is their time. The same is true for humans. The average weaning time for a child is 4-6 years of age. By forcing a child off of the mother before they are ready, we are creating a potential attachment hunger issue and showing the child that he or she cannot be trusted to do it on their own. Unfortunately, we allow society's ignorant ideas about breastfeeding determine when to wean over our own child's desire.
They Co-sleep and are soothed: Naturel Children are not made to cry it out (CIO). They are heard and held and soothed. Contrary to popular belief, babies do not have the mental capacity to use crying as a form of manipulation. Cries are an indicator that something is needed. Even if they are crying for attention, that is a crucial need that should be met too. If into toddlerhood your child is obviously using whining to get things, there are positive approaches to teach to your child how to express a want without whining. Naturel children also do not sleep alone. All mammals sleep with their young, and humans should be no different. I believe the crib and nursery epidemic that has babies waking up alone in the middle of the night crying is where much of our trauma begins. The baby mind cannot ration, "mom will be here soon-she is just in the other room." The only thing they can sense is, "gone-not here" (but
not in those words, obviously).
not in those words, obviously).
They eat a whole foods diet: Of course, I believe the
healthiest child is one that consumes only plant-based foods and doesn't consume
processed foods or acidic/toxic animal foods.
They are not given vaccines and are not circumcised: These are BIG and I
will tell you why. Yes, for obvious reasons, AND, when we consistently vaccinate our children and amputate the most sensitive part of their sexual organ we are teaching them a subconscious, yet profound, fundamental idea to live by: That the creator messed up and that they aren't inherently perfect. That they required being pricked, poked, cut, sliced, and injected with toxic substances in order to be a "normal," acceptable human being by society's standards. We are teaching them that the way they came just wouldn't do, that they are inherently defective, and mother nature messed
up her own creation. We are provided everything we need for our health and our immunity. Toxins and poison do not promote health in the body. We (males and females) were born with a foreskin for a reason. It has important and necessary functions for optimal sexual and penile/vaginal health. Not
to mention the topic of circumcision is a sexual abuse and human rights issue. I wrote a couple of blogs on vaccines and circumcision. For more
details on this topic, check those out.
Vaccination =/= Immunization
Functions of the
Foreskin. A Post on Circumcision.
They are educated in a way the suits their individual needs:
All too often we try to fit all children into one learning model. The problem is, this model of learning (sit down, shut up, listen to the teacher for 8 hours a day) is not kid friendly. Children need movement, interaction, and play. That is how they learn, through experience. For me even, as an adult, I prefer experiential knowledge over theoretical knowledge. Most of our public schools are limited to teaching children and teenagers the same 4-6 subjects throughout all of their years in school. Life is soooooo much more than that. As a matter of fact, I don't use any of the information I learned in school past kindergarten. I couldn't tell you anything about calculus, the Alamo (ok, except that there was a guy named Davy Crockett there), orrrrr...I actually can't think of anything else. Granted, there are some people who really enjoy that stuff, and they go on to learn more about it so that they can teach it to other people.....so that those people can learn more about it so that they can go teach other people...etc. But there is an entire world of possibilities out there that public school doesn't even scratch the surface of. And hey, it's not their job to. They are there for what they're there for, AND not everyone has a place there. Not even most people, in my own humble opinion. Naturel children lead their own learning, and as the adults we support their passions and interests and provide them with as many resources as possible. We encourage their creativity and play and innovation. We don't suppress it. We trust that children are born naturally curious and eager to learn.
healthiest child is one that consumes only plant-based foods and doesn't consume
processed foods or acidic/toxic animal foods.
They are not given vaccines and are not circumcised: These are BIG and I
will tell you why. Yes, for obvious reasons, AND, when we consistently vaccinate our children and amputate the most sensitive part of their sexual organ we are teaching them a subconscious, yet profound, fundamental idea to live by: That the creator messed up and that they aren't inherently perfect. That they required being pricked, poked, cut, sliced, and injected with toxic substances in order to be a "normal," acceptable human being by society's standards. We are teaching them that the way they came just wouldn't do, that they are inherently defective, and mother nature messed
up her own creation. We are provided everything we need for our health and our immunity. Toxins and poison do not promote health in the body. We (males and females) were born with a foreskin for a reason. It has important and necessary functions for optimal sexual and penile/vaginal health. Not
to mention the topic of circumcision is a sexual abuse and human rights issue. I wrote a couple of blogs on vaccines and circumcision. For more
details on this topic, check those out.
Vaccination =/= Immunization
Functions of the
Foreskin. A Post on Circumcision.
They are educated in a way the suits their individual needs:
All too often we try to fit all children into one learning model. The problem is, this model of learning (sit down, shut up, listen to the teacher for 8 hours a day) is not kid friendly. Children need movement, interaction, and play. That is how they learn, through experience. For me even, as an adult, I prefer experiential knowledge over theoretical knowledge. Most of our public schools are limited to teaching children and teenagers the same 4-6 subjects throughout all of their years in school. Life is soooooo much more than that. As a matter of fact, I don't use any of the information I learned in school past kindergarten. I couldn't tell you anything about calculus, the Alamo (ok, except that there was a guy named Davy Crockett there), orrrrr...I actually can't think of anything else. Granted, there are some people who really enjoy that stuff, and they go on to learn more about it so that they can teach it to other people.....so that those people can learn more about it so that they can go teach other people...etc. But there is an entire world of possibilities out there that public school doesn't even scratch the surface of. And hey, it's not their job to. They are there for what they're there for, AND not everyone has a place there. Not even most people, in my own humble opinion. Naturel children lead their own learning, and as the adults we support their passions and interests and provide them with as many resources as possible. We encourage their creativity and play and innovation. We don't suppress it. We trust that children are born naturally curious and eager to learn.