Okay, I'm going to actually comment on the magazine 
(I think everyone else on this thread has long since moved on, but I wanted to make a point I didn't see anyone else making.)
This is not a magazine that has, for instance, Pina Para la Nina as a target audience This is definitely not a magazine that is trying to convince feminist, working mothers that they're bad people who should be barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. It's a magazine that is trying to convince traditional, Christian mothers, the sorts of women who send checks to Phyllis Schlafley and feel that it's a sacred and godly calling to be barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen, that they should wear their babies, tandem nurse, and cosleep.
Though I'm not Christian, I lurk occasionally on a board for Christian AP mothers. (There are a number of Mothering.com moms who are regular posters.) If a secular AP mom feels that she's under pressure from society to put her baby in a crib, bottle-feed, and CIO, you have no IDEA what sorts of pressure church-going Christian mothers get from their communities. Many of the mothers on this other board have posted about how every other parent at their church does Ezzo. And, it's not surprising, when you realize that Ezzo's original program was called "Growing Kids God's Way" and was emphatically Christian (Babywise is a secularized version). While Sears has written a book on Christian parenting, he doesn't have the entire pre-packaged set of classes, videos, etc. that GFI has. And more's the pity.
Although I find the attitudes in "Nurturing" magazine to be offputting (or even repulsive -- the "Cleaning Bathrooms" one drove me nuts!) I think we're missing the point when we condemn it out of hand. We should be celebrating the fact that socially conservative, fundamentalist Christian mommies are discovering attachment parenting!!! Not complaining because there are socially conservative, fundamentalist Christian mommies out there
(I think everyone else on this thread has long since moved on, but I wanted to make a point I didn't see anyone else making.)This is not a magazine that has, for instance, Pina Para la Nina as a target audience
This is definitely not a magazine that is trying to convince feminist, working mothers that they're bad people who should be barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. It's a magazine that is trying to convince traditional, Christian mothers, the sorts of women who send checks to Phyllis Schlafley and feel that it's a sacred and godly calling to be barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen, that they should wear their babies, tandem nurse, and cosleep.Though I'm not Christian, I lurk occasionally on a board for Christian AP mothers. (There are a number of Mothering.com moms who are regular posters.) If a secular AP mom feels that she's under pressure from society to put her baby in a crib, bottle-feed, and CIO, you have no IDEA what sorts of pressure church-going Christian mothers get from their communities. Many of the mothers on this other board have posted about how every other parent at their church does Ezzo. And, it's not surprising, when you realize that Ezzo's original program was called "Growing Kids God's Way" and was emphatically Christian (Babywise is a secularized version). While Sears has written a book on Christian parenting, he doesn't have the entire pre-packaged set of classes, videos, etc. that GFI has. And more's the pity.
Although I find the attitudes in "Nurturing" magazine to be offputting (or even repulsive -- the "Cleaning Bathrooms" one drove me nuts!) I think we're missing the point when we condemn it out of hand. We should be celebrating the fact that socially conservative, fundamentalist Christian mommies are discovering attachment parenting!!! Not complaining because there are socially conservative, fundamentalist Christian mommies out there
: did I really say that???
). I look at society today and how bad the situation is with our youth and wonder if it is due to lack of parenting and children being left without a parent when they need one. I don't know. Anyway, we all have to do what we have to do. I just can't imagine, and hope I never have to, pay someone else to parent my child.
