The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart

by Jan Hunt, Peggy O'Mara (Foreword)

The Natural Child makes a compelling case for a return to attachment parenting, a child-rearing approach that has come naturally for parents throughout most of human history. In this insightful guide, parenting specialist Jan Hunt links together attachment parenting principles with child advocacy and homeschooling philosophies, offering a consistent approach to raising a loving, trusting, and confident child. The Natural Child dispels the myths of "tough love," building baby's self-reliance by ignoring its cries, and the necessity of spanking to enforce discipline. Instead, the book explains the value of extended breast-feeding, family co-sleeping, and minimal child-parent separation. Homeschooling, like attachment parenting, nurtures feelings of self-worth, confidence, and trust. The author draws on respected leaders of the homeschool movement such as John Taylor Gatto and John Holt, guiding the reader through homeschool approaches that support attachment parenting principles. Being an ally to children is spontaneous for caring adults, but intervening on behalf of a child can be awkward and surrounded by social taboo. The Natural Child shows how to stand up for a child's rights effectively and sensitively in many difficult situations. The role of caring adults, points out Hunt, is not to give children "lessons in life"-but to employ a variation of The Golden Rule, and treat children as we would like to have been treated in childhhood.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Education, Psychology, Childrens

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2001

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is very much written with an attachment\empathetic parenting viewpoint so if you are not into that you will more than likely not agree with everything she says. The book is a compilation of articles that Jan Hunt has written over the years on subjects from co-sleeping, compassionate discipline, homeschooling, and other such topics. Most of what she had to say really ressonated with me and I found myself feeling inspired and motivated to impliment much of what she discusses.
I love her focus on compassion, trust, and respect towards children and treating our children the way we ourselves would want to be treated.
I did feel that she made several claims that I knew she had done the research to back up but didn't really cite anything or substantiate her claims with other sources. Therefore my research mind made me question it at first.
I can't help but think how much better a place the world would be if we could all see children in the light she does.

[John Cass · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book on 'attachment parenting' a number of years ago. The book starts out really well by providing a refreshing alternative to what many would consider mainstream norms for raising children: co-sleeping, no spanking, avoiding separation, extended breastfeeding etc.

I think this is great for new parents having their first baby, but I found some of the principles and advice hard to buy into, especially as your kids reach the toddler stage (like co-sleeping: you get tired of being woken up by a two-year old's ankle in your groin).

Towards the end the book becomes a little repetitive and you get the feeling that there really isn't enough material there to fill an entire volume. The author's views are a little extreme and creates the impression that if you ever (a) left your baby in a crib, or (b) allowed it to cry for more than 5 seconds, or (c) sent one of your kids to a public school, you basically screwed them up for life.

This book will probably resonate with high 'S' personality types, who just want to avoid their children feeling upset.

Ever.

[Lesly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read with caution and common sense too. I like to read the two extremes in parenting approaches: Baby Wise from Gary Ezzo is in one extreme and this one is in the other extreme in my opinion. It has good things to take but others that are a bit too radical in my opinion. For example school doesn't kill anybody and the no separation approach is one of the things that made me so angry: so we are not ourselves anymore? how about some time for yourself? how about some husband-wife time? how about social life, your friends and the person you were before baby and still are? I really believe that every important relationship in your live needs some time apart, that is the key is every relationship: balance! Even with your baby. I am not saying your are going to drop your new born in the nursery for 8 hours, but once in a while you can get somebody (a family member, a friend) to baby sit for a couple of hours so you can date your spouse, or for you to go and have some time with your friends. All this people and relationships are still part of your live.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Man, what a disappointment. I'm bummed that this is the first book I read as an expectant mom. It's a lot of preaching and judgement about how to raise your kids with really nothing to back it up. It's a lot of 'don't do this' instead of here are proven methods and how you can apply them. Really impractical- and I am someone that is open to all the general concept she discusses (attachment parenting, no physical harm, listening to and trusting your kids) but she didn't give me any new information on why these methods are better (where's the research?) or provide practical ways to incorporate this philosophy into my daily life with my child. She seems to just base this book on the Holt books she's read and her own personal story of raising her only child. The only part that I found mildly interesting was the section on homeschooling as it is something I know little about. Anyway, for me this book was a waste of time.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found so much that I agreed with in this book - but a lack of practical ways to apply this to my life with a toddler and now preschooler. - holy crap I have a preschooler!

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were things I loved about this book. The idea that children are people and should be treated with respect and trust. I consider myself to be an attachment parent, and I agreed with a lot of it. But I feel that if someone from a more mainstream parenting attitude were to read this book, it would completely turn them off attachment parenting. Some of the ideas were a bit extreme to me, but more problematic was the judgmental attitude toward parents who use a crib or send their child to public school or don't have enough years between their children. If this had been the first attachment parenting book I'd read, I might have dismissed the idea outright, and that does no one, parents or children, any favors.

[Whole And · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful gentle yet firm guide to natural, attachment, heartfelt parenting. Covering all the principles in parenting, from co-sleeping to loving discipline, nurturing a love of learning, teaching your own children and guides us through insightful and well placed quotes.
This book is relatively short but full of loving, well researched, practical and well lived information.

Although I don't agree with absolutely everything written here, this is an important resource for all parents feeling a tug at their heart to do things out of convention, parents who may need a bit of confirmation that they are on the right track and parents who may be new to this style of parenting.

Jan Hunt was written with such flow, love and grace.

[Melissa Matthewson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good parenting book. I got some good ideas from it. Basically reaffirms the whole concept behind attachment parenting, emphasizing prolonged breastfeeding, co-sleeping and no separation. I get anxious about the no separation thing just because I can't be with my son all the time. Is it realistic to think that most mothers can in this day and age, when we are trying to hold down mortgages and pay for our expensive lives? Anyway, I think I'm a pretty good mother and we practice all these things that Hunt talks about, but sometimes I get anxious that I'm not doing my best.

[Kate Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of articles that the author has written for various magazines (several of the articles can be found online at www.naturalchild.org). Much of what I read was familiar to me because I've already read quite a bit about Attachment Parenting. But I still found the book quite valuable. There were some great chapters about empathic parenting and unschooling that introduced me to new ideas. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Phaedra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really just a compilation of articles written by the author for various outlets. I often found myself double checking to make sure that I hadn't accidentally reread a section: the book becomes redundant quickly.

Neither an academic look at natural (or attachment) parenting, nor a practical guide, this book is a vehicle for the author to further espouse her own opinions on parenting methods.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good collection of philosophies from people in the natural parenting movement. This book provides a good jumping point to research something you are interested in more depth. As with any parenting book, you take what resonates with you, and leave that which does not.

[Maire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book for the type of parenting it advocates - gentle, trusting your child etc. Like that it talks about children's rights as human beings and how we can forget that. Will be dipping in and out as I continue my journey as a parent to help me parent the way I aspire to

[Lilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on parenting I have ever read.

[Shona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book to read if you are looking to learn or build on your parenting skills.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent anecdote to the "Cry-it-out" attitude of our society.

[Amanda]

Didn't like it. At all. Makes me remember why I don't read parenting books as a general rule.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I agree with pretty much all of the content I found the authors style a bit preachy which got in the way of enjoying the book.

[دعاء الدريس · Rating 5 out of 5]

التربية الطبيعية،
مفهوم فطري جميل، صورة عميقة للتربية كما يجب أن تكون، رحلة سلام ومشاركة واحترام متبادل

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book worth reading. Some more extreme gentle parenting views about raising kids which are not bad, just not practical for all families.

[Garrett Glow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight on raising children from a thoughtful space.

[Iulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could chose only one parenting book, this one would be.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite parenting books. I re read it and *see* something new each time.

[Charissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with advice and reminders on how to raise children in a compassionate, loving way.