Parenting Philosophy: Parenting beyond 1968
I got my Newsweek in the mail a few weeks ago and the cover said 1968 with pictures of Robert Kennedy, Nixon and Martin Luther King and I thought, oh my, why are we still talking about this? We might as well buy music by the Eagles or Led Zeppelin. Can we get those on 8-track? Not that all of these people weren’t talented and important and not that they didn’t have an impact on our politics and culture, it is just that this is 2007, so why can’t we move on?
But the article in Newsweek made sense. It said that we are stuck in the sixties because so many of us define ourselves as for or against that decade. This can be seen in our politics, with the red states representing order and discipline and the blue states preferring individual freedom. And then I realized, this divide can be found in the parenting books too.
Oh, no, parenting books. This is another question, why are there so many parenting books? Well, parenting is pretty hard and I look for the balance between trusting my instincts and learning new things, and so I’ll spend some of my time reading the books. There are two that I hear about, think about and talk about pretty often and while they seem very different on the surface, they also have some things in common, beginning with my belief that they are both firmly rooted in 1968.
The first book is “On Becoming Baby Wise” (Gary Ezzo, Robert Dr Bucknam). This book is the Dad in 1968, the one with the sensible job and traditional family. He thought the political protests and hippie culture were self-indulgent and damaging to the country and he was relieved when order and stability returned. Click here for a book review.
The second book is “The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (Revised and Updated Edition)” (William Sears, Martha Sears, Robert Sears, James Sears). This book is the teenage son of the Dad in 1968, the one with the long hair and pot in his pocket. He thought the political protests and hippie culture were powerful and they made a real difference. He is still looking for ways to make love, not war. Click here for a book review.
But if we can get past 1968, and see the world beyond that lens, where could we end up? Is there an approach that might take some of the Dad and some of the son and come up with something new? I’m searching for this balance, stick around to see what I find…
Technorati Tags: graceful parenting, parenting, parenting philosophy
I am so glad you brought this issue up about the parenting books. I read so many different books and websites when my son was first born that I made myself a nutcase trying to take it all in and implement it all (even though much of it conflicted!) It seems to me, now that I’m 9 months into this parenting adventure, that the best thing to do for your baby is to just do what seems best for your baby. Consider the options that are presented, but make the final decision yourself based on what works for you and your family.