The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost (Classics in Human Development)

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating philosophy, but be careful as children get older
Review: However idealistic and romantic Liedloff's work is, I was profoundly moved. She admits to never having the intention of writing a "how-to" book for child-rearing, but the unforeseen following of her child-care pontifications forced her to look again at how her message was received, and how she could possibly be considered an "expert" in light of her first-hand experiences. I first read the book when my two children were toddlers, and I saw many, many points of interest that were right on with my own attachment-parenting style. However, I still never caught on with referring back to this book for discplinary concerns. In the 21st century U.S., if I allow my young children to wander up and down the streets or into the woods without "supervision", I could be arrested for child neglect and/or endangerment. So, it doesn't matter whether I agree with her parenting theories, they, in some part, would be punishable by Western governments, and since I choose to remain a U.S. citizen, I need to abide by federal and state laws. The "in-arms" phase was one I thoroughly enjoyed with my babies, and perhaps it is a shame that our current society remains as one that does not trust the child's instinct and process as valid, but we, as parents are responsible for introducing our children to live and contribute to the culture that WE live in. It does more harm than good to raise children with a sense of anarchy toward our current culture, even though we may disagree with its mandates. The freedom and representative vote that we can access allows us to introduce philsophical concepts such as this into Western culture not as an ideal (almost all parenting books read as idealistic, by the way, and they're all different), but as an option. We are seeing this more and more with the continuing rise in acceptance of homeschooling and non-punitive parental discipline. It's important to remember that this concept might still be in a process, and that parents can still be forcibly separated from their children by authorities for sleeping with them, by continuing to nurse into elementary school age, or by letting them roam. That being said, I still look at this as an incredible philosophical and visionary piece of literature. And that is how I encourage any reader to approach the book: read and ponder, since this is not a research find but a poetic and beautiful experience that changed Liedloff's outlook on life. It had an impact on my life, and it can do the same for you.

Rating:
Summary: Changed my Life!!
Review: This book gave me so much insight not only into parenting, but into the hearts and minds of everyone around me. The world would be a better place if everyone read this book.