Thanks for the thoughts yesterday. We're home and on the mend, with plenty of snuggles and long naps together.

I've talked a bit (like here and here) about our family's parenting philosophy. It is based on respectful connection rather than punishment and rewards. This differs from how most of us were raised and from how we've watched most other parents engage their kids throughout our lives. 

Perhaps because I have often felt as thought I'm making this up as I go along, I have become a compulsive parenting book reader. Just as some of you come here to feel like you fit in, I read these books to gain new skills and feel connected to a global community of like-minded parents. Respectful Parents Respectful Kids, Connection Parenting, and Raising our Children, Raising Ourselves are three of my favorites resources for families with children.

 

Today we have Deirdre from Continuum Family sponsoring a giveaway of one copy of Respectful Parents Respectful Kids. I consider this book a must-have for any parenting library. I interviewed Deirdre about her wonderful store and business philosophy.

Clean: Tell us about Continuum Family.

Continuum Family: Based in Canada, we are a home-based family business offering
natural parenting essentials since 2006, featuring our own Continuum Family (CF) line of
handmade pouch slings and unique baby clothing and accessories to
facilitate the practice of infant pottying (Elimination Communication). We also sell quality
baby carriers and Non-Violent
Communication books, cooperative games, nursing products, cloth
diapers, training pants and more.

Continuum Family: I have been greatly inspired (as you might gather from the name!) by
the book The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff. It was not written as
a parenting book per se, but rather puts forth the concept that "in
order to achieve optimal physical, mental and emotional development,
human beings—especially babies—require the kind of experience to which
their species adapted during the long process of their evolution". In
short, babies are biologically programmed to thrive when cared for in
an attached way. This book had a profound impact on me when I first
read it 7 years ago and it changed many of my preconceived ideas about
babies, parenting, and the roles of families and societies. 

My first
years of motherhood were spent getting a feel for what I wanted our
path to be as a family. Then, when our first daughter was 3 and our
second daughter a few months old, I felt compelled to look outwards at
promoting and advocating natural/continuum parenting in a way that
could also help support our family while allowing me to continue to
stay at home with our children.

Continuum Family: I feel strongly about supporting other work-at-home or small family-run businesses and like to be able to offer
handmade items wherever possible. Our CF line is entirely handmade by
me. I believe in doing my part to help provide an alternative to the
big box stores that are full of mass-produced, poor-quality items. I
choose organic and natural fibers wherever possible. I also strive to
support businesses whose products are made ethically. Additionally, I only sell items I have personally used myself as I
believe it's very important to be able to stand behind my products and
recommend them without hesitation. More recently, I have
decided to stock some parenting books with a Non-Violent Communication
focus, since this is an approach that I have personally found very
useful for helping create and maintain a family environment of empathy,
cooperation and trust.

Continuum Family has a coupon code for Clean readers. Receive 10% off your next order with Continuum Family. Use coupon code LUSA at checkout until June 30, 2010.

To be entered in the drawing for Respectful Parents Respectful Kids, simply leave a comment below. I'll close comments on Monday at 8:00 am. Thanks, Continuum Family!

Comments are now closed. I'll announce the winner soon!