The Drs. Sears

Over our many years of parenthood we have come to implement more and more of the advice from the Sears family. Dr. William Sears and his wife Martha were pioneers of the attachment parenting and family bed movements. It took several years for us to adopt the tenets of attachment parenting fully, but by our fourth child we were baby wearing and co-sleeping with great satisfaction and peace.

For many reasons, that will not be listed here, we have decided to delay and even refuse most vaccinations for our children. Over the years we have been approached by concerned young parents seeking our advice on immunizations. As I am not a doctor, nor an absolute expert on vaccinations, I feel very uncomfortable suggesting to other families that they follow our lead and also refuse immunizations for their children. However, I feel completely at ease suggesting The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child, written by the son of Dr. and Martha Sears, Dr. Robert Sears. Dr. Sears does a wonderful job laying out the justifications and real concerns of the current vaccination schedule employed in the United States. He neither fully condones, nor fully condemns immunization, but lays out the current research even handedly, allowing parents to make the best decisions for their own children. He even suggests alternate vaccination schedules.

Recently, we discovered that our youngest daughter, Special K, has a sensitivity to artificial ingredients--really chemicals--used in conventional foods. We started her on the Feingold Diet and with a few tweaks here and there, believe we have eliminated the culprit foods from her diet. My mother-in-law, being the wonderfully supportive woman she is, came across another book by Dr. William Sears called the NDD Book, or the Nutritional Deficit Disorder Book. She sent it to me immediately. It was amazing how many of the hallmark behaviors our Special K displayed that Dr. Sears connected to NDD. The book has some wonderful advice on getting children to eat more naturally and healthily, as well as a plan for getting children off the numerous mood altering drugs doctors too often prescribe for ADD and ADHD. For us, the book gave more insight into how important whole, natural foods are to children's brain development and metabolism. We've added to our list of no-no additives and preservatives and I've begun making more of our food from scratch. It's all a work in progress.

Wingnut and I have been parents for 17 years, and I find it funny how we are continuing to grow and learn. The older and more experienced we become, the more we lean toward more natural strategies, foods, etc. in our parenting decisions. I wonder what more we might learn in the years to come.