“Natural”

On my way home tonight I listened to an episode of CBC's Ideas. At the centre of this story was a PhD student who had done months of observation on chimp's parenting styles and noticed a lot of inconsistencies with previous literature. 

There actually didn't seem to be a right or wrong exactly, but many different ways that chimps parented their young. It brought forward the fact that the only natural form of parenting is the one that works for the parents/caregiver and the child. Some people are never able to breastfeed and others continue breastfeeding for years. One is only right or wrong relative to the individuals in those situations. 

It was a good reminder for me of the importance of trusting ourselves and our children and not to be too quick to jump on the band wagon of any style of parenting (or living for that matter). We're all unique and our context is different from person to person. We can only live the life that works for us and makes us happy and ask that others do the same.