I get nervous about 'movements'. Attachment parenting, Slow Family Living. I might start my own movement. I'm going to call it "Moderate Parenting" and the mantra will be, "holy f*ck, just be reasonable."

Movements like this are just begging to be broken, like a strict rule. Don't want a disconnect? The end result might be grown children who resented your choices, and who felt overly-sheltered and segregated from their own childhood. Can we please stop placing labels on ourselves, our children, our family activities, and our lives, and simply be Moderate?

i agree, sounds like something kids will eventually resent. ;)

Whenever you're making buttons, Luna, I'll wear my HF(!)JBR badge every day. I feel like common sense has upped and left us. It would be great if we could all just do good things, with good intentions and talk to our kids.

as far as I'm concerned, everyone needs some therapy. If I can raise my son so he only needs a LITTLE therapy, I'll give myself a pat on the back and a nice bowl of wine. Moderate Parenting: Shooting for Pretty Damn Good.

Luna, you are a genius! I am so ready to rock the pre-school scene with the Moderate Parenting Movement.

HF, count me in too!

Another mommy shooting for pretty damn good.

I'll admit I don't delve deeply into a lot of this stuff, but I thought the entire point to the "slow family" movement was to be moderate. A sort of kickback against the modern tendency to sign kids up for a million after school activities and tutors and trying to rev up for college in middle school. That sort of thing. At the same time I don't think any of those folks are calling for a very extreme opposite approach like never taking kids out of the house. So it seems to me that they're already aiming for a more moderate, less extreme form of living with kids.

After reading the whole article, it actually sounds pretty moderate. Seems like folks are simply reacting to the term
"movement" rather than what the article is about, which is living a mindful family life. As a teacher, I can tell you that kids today are way too programmed. My students feel like to have to excel at everything or else they aren't good enough. As a new parent, I look to the families at my school where the kid goes home and bakes cookies or plays cards and I'm impressed. I think this article is a useful reminder. Now, I don't think I need to go take a class... but if others have that kind of expendable cash... well, more power to them.

I'm wondering if some of you even read the article - or just didn't comprehend it.

"We don't think anything is categorically bad or good. Look at it mindfully."

Just be aware - not oblivious.

I am a bit tired of judging everything: except design. Is this a design-focused blog still?

I am for whatever floats anybody's boat, not my life.

I agree with amypurple.... is this a parenting blog, or a design blog?

Um, says, "home. design, children." right up there near the name. So this seems fair game.

forgive me, patrick, for I am most likely wrong - but my understanding is that Ohdeedoh is a blog that focuses on child-related design topics.... not general parenting?

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/mission

I don't mind the occasional parenting post, but there seem to be more and more of them and less posts about design for children.

Mindfulness.

I think posts like these are what makes ohdeedoh (and AT) different from other design blogs. It explores not just design but life style which has a huge impact on how we live. This post is about exactly that, the how life style can impact children and to be aware of it.

I like occasional articles like this. It adds a level of depth and discussion that wouldn't normally be there in a design blog. Quit whining

yikes.

Thanks for the link to the mission statement, hnhkt. I think it really illustrates why this article is just right for ohdeedo: part of the mission is making our homes healthy. Isn't our, and our children's, mental health a HUGE part of that? Let's not forget the GOAL (below mission) of reducing our reliance on stuff. Mm-hmm.

Dang...I really should proofread these things before I hit the button.

I get nervous about 'movements'. Attachment parenting, Slow Family Living. I might start my own movement. I'm going to call it "Moderate Parenting" and the mantra will be, "holy f*ck, just be reasonable."

Nervous? Good grief, for someone so moderate and praising moderation in childrearing, you are not very moderate in your statements at all. Attachment parenting has been around since our species were hunter-gatherers. It's not a movement.

Some of you need to see Babies or read Our Babies, Ourselves and stop labeling cultural practices as aberrations.

I've never witnessed so much cynicism over a harmless article.
If you don't like it, move one!

Sometimes we need "movements" in order to get a wake up call. If you don't agree that "most" families today live in chaos, then your head is buried in sand. Most of us need to simplify our lives, and get back to basics. Look around and see what's happening in our world. Most people are in debt, overweight, and struggling to survive because they are living a life created by the media. Is this the kind of life you want your children to live?

And, no, Luna is not a genius. And, I doubt any of you who seem to be following her like sheep bothered to read the article!

"What we're really wanting families to do is to kind of check in with themselves and figure out what is important to them about family life."

Brilliant. Sounds more like "common sense" than a "movement" to me. As a teacher myself, I would sure appreciate more families taking this approach to their family lives. I see major benefits in the classroom with kids who come from these type of families. Sorry if some of you couldn't be bothered to read the article.

Who cares......about this crap.. I really think the HF JBR shit was hilarious! Besides that...the article really wasn't extreme...just seemed kinda hippy dippy to me. Whatever, I run around busy, my kid eats a happy meal once in a while and I make her go to ballet even if she doesn't want to that day because I payed too much money for the stupid class. As long as you make time to just "be" with your kid and let them know its not what you do but the time you spend together then its all good. Its ridiculous we need a "movement" to talk about something that seems so natural?! Movements are for self important people who feel the need to "contribute". FYI you are contributing just being with your children...not wasting your time teaching a class about it.

p.s. lunafaerie5...I like your cynicism....its hilarious and actually refreshing to read someone with a sense of humor not so afraid of offending someone...heaven forbid someone's parenting views are offended.

Lunafaerie's tips for parents are spot on: be reasonable, and get yourself some therapy. And in case you can't tell, I don't think the therapy comment is cynical at all. I think it's just the opposite.

Yes, attachment parenting has been around since the beginning of civilization, but there also *is* a movement of people who yell and scream that anyone who isn't as OMG-attachment-parenting as they are is traumatizing their child.

Oh, I can do this. Money is TIGHT since I've been made redundant. So kids are not overloaded with activities because they cost money and I'm there to pick them up every day as I have only found a little work as of yet. We're slowing it at the moment. I think kids tell you when they're getting overburdened with it all anyway.

I'm actually down with the "Slow Family" idea, but calling it a movement is pretentious and dumb. It's only so parents can feel they're making a conscious choice, with external validation, so they don't freak out about their kids thinking their family life is boring.

"I am NOT a boring mom, I am in touch with my children!"

Whatever. Personally I am proud to be a boring mom. My kids learn how to entertain themselves. When my coworkers and friends start to talk about how exhausted they are from all the ridiculous activities they take their kids to (Art exhibition for preschoolers? Really?) I don't preach to them about some movement. I look them straight in the eye and say "You're high." I laugh, they laugh. Nobody changes their parenting, because honestly, both ways are just fine.

i had to laugh that this is a "movement" that someone "invented." Righhhhht. Being mindful and slowing down your life/simplifying is something invented recently by a duo in Austin.

I will put two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen together and I will call it "liquid elixir" - I invented it. And you can drink it, you know? It will be the new movement. We can all drink it- and you can look back and say, "Wow, I read it on Ohdeedoh. I was there when this incredible person in Los Angeles invented it."