Evolutionary Parenting Podcast

When do our children's needs morph into wants? How are we supposed to be responsive without "giving in"? These are some of the questions that I talk about with a mother looking for answers about how to be a loving, responsive, and sensitive parent without harming her child's budding independence.

When we think about education, most of us think about our experience with what we might call modern-traditional schooling: classes by grade, a teacher at the front, testing, memorization, getting to know a new teacher each year, and maybe some more good like good friendships or more bad, like bullying. But what if school doesn't have to look like this? What alternative paradigms are out there? This week I'm joined by former Montessori Principal and advocate for public Montessori at a national level John Freeman to discuss what the different features of Montessori are and how they can help children thrive. My hope is that after listening to our conversation, families who feel that education could be better for their kids have one more option that they might feel comfortable exploring. The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector: https://www.public-montessori.org/about-us/ Elm City Montessori School: https://elmcitymontessori.org/about-us/ Hartford Courant article: https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2008-12-29-school1229-story.html

"It's just the way it is!" "Progress is always good" These are the sentiments that many people feel about the way our society and culture is structured. Because it's how we've grown up and what we've experienced, we believe this is the way it is. We view change as progress and think that anything different must be less than. But what if this isn't the type of society or life that enabled us humans to thrive? We evolved to this point, but is this really the best we can hope for? Welcome to the concept of the Evolved Nest - the concept that how we lived for the majority of human history has been what enabled our success and moving back to the key features of that history can help us thrive once again. This week I had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Darcia Narveaz, the creator of this concept and the associated nonprofit organization to discuss what this involves and how we can all thrive. Isn't it time we get to the stage where we all feel whole again? Dr. Darcia Narvaez: https://psychology.nd.edu/faculty/darcia-narvaez/ The Evolved Nest: https://evolvednest.org/ Books on the Evolved Nest* Contexts for Young Child Flourishing: https://amzn.to/3AYbD1j Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: https://amzn.to/36EoOq9 Restoring the Kinship Worldview: https://amzn.to/36AbbZ1 Scientific Articles on the Evolved Nest https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/ijps/article/view/2244 https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/eco.2020.0067?journalCode=eco https://internationaljournalofwellbeing.org/index.php/ijow/article/view/987/775

When you thought about nursing, did you think about how long it would go? Did you think, "I will absolutely be done by one because that's old enough"? Then find yourself with a 2-year-old attached to the boob and worry that they're too old? Or perhaps you were okay with that from the start, but still face comments, questions, and accusations from others about this? Welcome to nursing beyond infancy - something most of the world does, but which those of us in WEIRD - Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic - countries seem to have some odd ideas about. This week I am joined by Meg Nagle, IBCLC and founder of The Milk Meg, as we debunk some of these myths that you may have been told so that you can, in the words of Meg, keep on boobin' with less stress and worry. The Milk Meg: https://themilkmeg.com/ All Tied Up*: https://amzn.to/3qUHcEs Boobin' All Day Boobin' All Night*: https://amzn.to/3qT7Nln Some articles on nursing older children: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2720507/ https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/INFORMIT.674686961104750 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0890334404266969 * Amazon Affiliate Link

"You must breastfeed!" says the medical professional. "Don't you dare sleep with your baby!" says the same medical professional. The tension between how we feed our babies and how we sleep with them is a real problem for many new families. As primates, we are expected to stay close to our young, and that includes nighttime, and this has profound implications for our feeding journey. As we discussed last week, breast or chestfeeding grief is real and many families struggle with it, but some of this comes from advice that may be well-intentioned but harms that feeding relationship. This week I got to talk to the expert herself - Dr. Helen Ball - researcher of the effects of sleep location on feeding and vice versa about this very issue. She also happens to be one of my favourite people to talk so this episode was an absolute joy for me. If you think that how you sleep doesn't affect how you feed your baby or how you feed your baby doesn't affect how you sleep, you're likely in for a bit of a surprise. Dr. Helen Ball: https://www.dur.ac.uk/research/directory/staff/?id=121 Durham Infancy and Sleep Centre: https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/durham-infancy-sleep-centre/ BASIS Website: www.basisonline.org BASIS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BabySleepInfoSource/ BASIS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basis_babysleepinfosource/ Articles of Interest (a small selection of many): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1523-536X.2003.00243.x https://adc.bmj.com/content/89/12/1106.abstract https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0264683021000033147 https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1525/aa.1999.101.1.143 https://adc.bmj.com/content/91/12/1005.short https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/icd.519 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Helen-Ball/publication/30053712_Breastfeeding_and_mother-infant_sleep_proximity_implications_for_infant_care/links/0fcfd50c45a22d9d36000000/Breastfeeding-and-mother-infant-sleep-proximity-implications-for-infant-care.pdf https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10995-015-1798-7