HUNT, GATHER, PARENT BOOK REPORT

I'm halfway through Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff. Stories, practical tools and really intuitive parenting advice make this compelling book hard to put down.

It's refreshing and relaxing to read because it reminds me there is space to parent in a more intuitive way and specifically in a literally quieter way. There is a strong theme through out the two cultures she's visited in the part of the book I've read towards less talking.

The book is relaxing because there is a focus on viewing your children as "irrational beings who haven't learned proper behavior yet" rather than getting angry at them all the time for all sorts of things.

We've tried to include kiddo in our adult life rather than scheduling a bunch of kid-focused things and we've included him in chores much like this book describes. He has been competent chopping veggies with a knife since age 2. This book is a good reminder to do more of this.

More "Let's do it together" and less "go clean up".

It's also a pertinent time to read it. Baby's first birthday is next month and we've already had family ask for gift ideas. This book and another favorite book, Simplicity Parenting, both so strongly convey that we don't need ANY toys.

It also reminds me of Continuum Concept. I love the part of that book that talk about how kids are involved in almost all adult activities. An exception is hunting. The men go off hunting which requires lots of patience and quiet movement and not a lot of shooting of bows and arrows; maybe firing only one or two shots the whole time. Little boys stay back with their toy arrows and shoot hundreds of arrows a day in play therefore getting so much more practice.