The Continuum Concept

[Leanna]

So now I have to read it so I can have an informed opinion, right?

 

[CelticRose]

Oh, I understood it was an anthropology book but the parenting just made sense to me used with a little common sense given I did not live in the wilds of South America.

 

[heart of peace]

So now I have to read it so I can have an informed opinion, right?

You got it illinoismommy . That's the spirit...hehe Please note my light tone.

Mama_Piadosa, I do get that I am somewhat surprising. Like I said earlier, if you spotted me on the street, you would think I fit right in with mainstream Westernized parenting methods. I actually surprise myself at times...lol

I do realize that it was not meant to be a parenting manual but I felt that the book resonated with my spirit as a mother. Another good anthropological read that was definitely more of a study was Meredith Small's Our Babies, Ourselves. What a great read that was as well.

Anyway, some questions for the CCish moms:

1. What is your view on parental authority in the CC framework?

2. Have you ever felt that your faith and CC concepts were contradictory? If so, how?

I'll have more as we go along I presume.

 

[gracepaints]

How I incorporated this principle into my parenting, is that I created a baby safe ROOM. So, my son was able to explore the main room we spent our day in as well as "his" room (its more of a playroom with a bed...lol) freely with little to no interjections on my part.

Also, I think the concept she is presenting is that we don't allow our children to do things because we think they are going to hurt themselves. The point is we need to trust that they don't want to hurt themselves and that they won't if we don't put our fears into them.

Yeah, but the examples she gives is of leaving toddlers free to roam around open fires and playing with machetes. A "child-safe" room is the opposite of "trust that they don't want to hurt themselves and that they won't if we don't put our fears into them". If we trust them not to hurt themselves, why make the room "safe"? I agree that by saying sharply, "DON'T TOUCH THAT!" when a child approaches something hot does imply that the child wants to touch the hot thing and are therefore, makes the child inclined to fulfilll our expectations whether or not they had any original desires to touch the thing. However, I think she takes it a bit far to suggest we shouldn't make some attempt to prevent our children from falling into fires, playing with knives, etc. Like I said, baby animals accidentally hurt or kill themselves all the time. An instinct for survival does not replace the cautioned learned through life experience.

illinoismommy, the in-arm phase means that the baby is in the arms of a caregiver always, not in the arms of mommy always. Sometimes that means dad, other times that could be grandma or still other times even older brother. Mom certainly gets a break in the Yequana tribe.

True, I went back and checked the book last night and as I remembered being among adults and daily activity was the main point, not being carried strictly by the mother. In these continuum cultures, babies are integrated into daily living seamlessly. They go where the adults go whether they are visiting, working, cooking, etc. No more attention than necessary is devoted to these babies. In our society, we would never let a woman bring her baby to work because the assumption is that the woman would (or should) devote all her attention to the child and therefore, couldn't work. In continuum cultures, the child is just along for the ride while the parent works. When he needs to be fed, he's fed, but otherwise, the parent goes about his or her task and the baby is happy and content with this.

 

[CelticRose]

We actually did the whole fire thing ~ camping etc~ & while we initially kept an eye on them it wasn't my babies who wanted to meddle with the fire or fell into it but other, older kiddies who were constantly told to 'mind the fire'. Mine grew up with fires & had very little interest in 'playing' with them; they were a tool used for cooking their fish & crabs & they knew how to do that. Ditto knives. Our kids were given knives at a very early age, taught to use them safely & allowed them in their fishing tackle. Again it was not our children who cut themselves or were silly around knives. I think part of it is training ~ & it doesn't necessarily have to be direct training. Kids absorb lots just through watching how adults use tools.