Pros: Natural family living articles provide alternative parenting advice.
Cons: Some articles may be interpreted as "radical" by mainstream society.
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for a fresh, alternative approach to parenting the "natural family living" way, look no further than inside the pages of Mothering Magazine!
Before I begin singing the praises of this unique periodical, I must admit that I do read most of the mainstream parenting magazines on the market today (such as Parenting, Parents, Child, American Baby, etc) and enjoy them very much. But if I had to pick ONE, and one only, parenting magazine to subscribe to, it would have to be MOTHERING MAGAZINE. No doubt about it as I wouldn't even have to stop for a second and think about making this decision. I received my first issue over a year ago while pregnant with my now 9 month old son and have not missed an issue since. It was very obvious from this first issue that Mothering Magazine is NOT your typical parenting magazine!
I devoured the March/April 2000 issue of Mothering Magazine as soon as I pulled it out my mailbox. I could not believe my eyes when I looked at the cover. There on the front of the magazine was a photograph of a VERY pregnant woman (belly and all!) taken by the subject. She's naked (tastefully so) and there she is looking down at two toddlers with their hands on her belly. It was one of the most interesting pictures I'd ever seen on the cover of a magazine! From that moment on, I've been hooked.
Inside each issue of Mothering Magazine, you will find many informative articles on alternative parenting styles. Some of the many topics discussed in this magazine include breastfeeding (including nursing toddlers and even adopted children), home births (including water birth), the midwife's role in childbirth, how to avoid an episiotomy, weighing the risks of ultrasound and epidurals, saying no to routine circumcision, weighing the risks of vaccinations, the family bed, cloth diaper use, homeschooling and various other topics too numerous to mention here.
While flipping through most other parenting magazines on the market, you will most likely find pages and pages of advertisements showing everything you MUST buy for your child! You know, the lavish nursery items with the extensive layette and every toy possible baby will need from birth through the toddler and preschool years. Of course they also throw in every feeding accessory known to (wo)man and even more disposable diaper ads are inserted for good measure too. I'm sure you understand exactly what I'm talking about by now. Be assured that those kind of advertisements will NOT be found in Mothering Magazine. Instead, you'll see many alternative products that aren't found in the mainstream periodicals, such as Tushies diapers (with no chemical absorbents found in most other disposable diapers), ads for organic foods and baby foods, and clothing and accessories (such as slings, breastpumps, co-sleepers, etc.) for pregnant/nursing mothers. Yes, the advertisements are there, but a larger percentage of Mothering Magazine is devoted to reader letters and informative articles verses what you'll find in the more typical parenting magazines.
Each issue of Mothering Magazine devotes a rather large percentage of it's pages to reader feedback. This is one of my most favorite parts of the entire magazine. I love reading how certain articles have changed people's lives. Some of the other sections you will find include (1) THE ART OF MOTHERING, (2)HEALTH, (3) A CHILD'S WORLD, (4) PREGNANCY, BIRTH, & MIDWIFERY, (5) WAYS OF LEARNING, (6) A QUIET PLACE, (7) YOUR LETTERS, (8) BULLETINS, and (9) LIVING TREASURES. Each section covers refreshing, alternative family living articles all geared towards raising healthy and happy children in today's rather troubled society.
So now I know what you must be thinking! This woman is a RADICAL. No one in today's society lives by the "rules" set forth in Mothering Magazine anymore. It's way too old fashioned! Most everyone goes to a hospital to have their babies, has multiple ultrasounds during pregnancy, choose an epidural over "natural" childbirth, put disposable diapers over their son's circumsized penis', choose formula over breastmilk (at least in later months), and so on and so on. Who cares about all that alternative stuff?
I do! And more families than you think care about it too. There are numerous incidents I wish I could go back and change with each of my previous pregnancies, but I can't. For example, I've had three C-sections, the third being after a failed attempt at a home/water birth with a certified professional midwife (OMG...she IS a radical!). I chose not to breastfeed my first child and we also made the decision to circumsize our older son just because that was the most popular choice at the time. And I could certainly go on and on here with all the other things I wish I could change. Perhaps things would of been much different had I known Mothering Magazine existed back then. Perhaps not. Now I guess I'll never know.
Saying that, even though this "radical" continues to breastfeed her uncircumsized 9 month old son, she also puts the more popular brands of disposable diapers on his bottom. She does NOT homeschool and would never have the desire/patience to do so. All of her children have had all of their immunizations on schedule as recommended by their pediatricians. And she does not practice the family bed nor does she feel that formula is "poison" or that ultrasound is harmful to babies. So maybe she's not so "radical" after all?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that Mothering Magazine will enhance your parenting style in ways you might never have thought of before. It provides alternative ideas to childbirth, how to parent, and so on. I'm not saying it will make you change your mind regarding ALL aspects of your parenting style. It will just open your mind to other less popular ideas. And it will certainly give you a refreshing break from all the typical information found in most of the other parenting magazines we are exposed to. Give it a try! You might be pleasantly surprised at what you will find within the pages of Mothering Magazine.
Cover price: $5.95/issue (US) $7.95 (Canada)
Subscribe online at www.mothering.com
Or mail $18.95 for six issues (one year)to:
MOTHERING
PO BOX 1690
SANTA FE NM 87504-9774
(800)984-8116
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