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Kelly

Kelly's Thoughts on Gentle Mothering

What does gentle mothering mean to you?

To me gentle mothering means listening to your heart and maternal instincts. God gave us a built in response system to help us care for our children. For example, I believe it is no accident that a woman's milk will let down if her baby cries. But more than just listening to our instincts we must always be in control of our actions and not let emotion get the best of us. We must remember that our children are just that - children. They will make us angry but we cannot harm them because of it. But on the practical side I believe that gentle mothering includes breastfeeding, attending to our children's needs (day and night), not putting our children in situations they are not ready for, respecting their needs and recognizing when we as the mothers need a break so as to not convey burn out to our children.

Why do you feel that gentle mothering is so important?

I believe gentle mothering is important because it contributes to the betterment of society at large. I look at today's teenagers and do not like what I see (generally speaking). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the conventional "wisdom" parents were given on child rearing 15-20 years ago is not working. Our children's lives are in our hands. When they are babies our parenting style can help guard against illness and fear, and can help them feel secure, loved and grounded in family. As they grow I hope that this parenting style will maintain that security, love and sense of family.

Why do you feel that God wants you to parent this way?

I believe that God wants me to mother in this way because that is how he set it up. If God intended for babies to formula fed, sleep alone, and be self sufficient by three months He would have put an enfamil factory and crib manufacturer in the Garden of Eden. I am a history buff and I strongly believe that we can learn about the future by studying the past. This gentle mothering is how babies were raised for millineums! It certainly worked for them. But most of all when I lay my head on my pillow I never feel guilty. I have never had to say "gosh he's grown so fast I wish had held him more". I have never sat outside a bedroom door crying because I was letting my child cry himself to sleep. This internal peace is how I know God wants me to mother this way.

Kelly's Testimony

I was raised in a devout Christian home. We prayed together and kept Christ at the center of our lives. I never really had a conversion moment. I just always believed. My parents always said my greatest strength was the ability to learn from other people's mistakes as opposed to only learning by making them myself. I look at people who reject God and see their emptiness. I see what happens when a society rejects God. And I see the beauty that we can posses when we accept God. People say that you can't see God but I see God everytime my son smiles. You cannot show someone a pound of love but they know love exists. I know that love exists because Christ hung on a cross for me so that I may have eternal life.