These Parents’ All Natural (And a Little Controversial) Parenting Style

As a parent, the most important thing is raising your child to the best of your ability. Setting your children up to be happy and lead successful lives is the ultimate goal. The avenue by which we accomplish that can be different for everyone. Often, our parenting styles come from our backgrounds and how we were raised, following traditional paths. For others, though, they decide to go another way and challenge some traditional practices of child rearing.

One couple doing just that is the Allen family. They have two children that they’ve decided to raise as naturally as possible, despite some of their practices being a little controversial.

Their goal is to eventually become self-sustaining and able to be completely on their own, unburdened from the constraints of modern society. They believe that happiness does not come from finding a job that makes the most money or falling to consumerism. Instead, they believe that living free of these pressures and in a more unconventional way will teach their children that they don’t have to follow traditional paths.

Read on to learn just how unconventional their parenting style is.

One of the main beliefs the Allens have is that modern medicine is not necessary. They believe that as long as they are eating natural, healthy foods and using herbal remedies, they do not need any kind of modern medicine. This includes regular vaccinations for their children.

During each of their children’s births, the couple wanted to stay away from medical interference, including after the children’s’ births when the umbilical cord is typically cut. Instead, the father proudly cutting the cord, they used a method called Lotus in which they waited for the placenta to naturally fall off. According to the Allens, this took about 6 days after their each of their children’s births.

They also plan to homeschool their children and believe that spending as much time outdoors as possible will help the children to live out their hunter-gatherer DNA and to really feel life. For similar reasons, they also try to keep their children out of shoes, as close to nature as possible.

Though their oldest child is five years old, they are not in a rush to get him involved in a regular, organized academic program. He has a large bin of supplies and crafts that he has access to when he wants them, but they do not believe that it is necessary at his age that he knows how to read and write.

Extended breastfeeding is another priority of the Allens. Their oldest son is five and still nursing when he desires. They feel that nursing is a natural connection between the mother and child, and the mother should not feel pressured from others to wean. It has always been the mother’s responsibility since the beginning of time (and before formula) to nourish her child by breastfeeding, and they believe that weaning will take place when the child is ready.

Their dream for their family is to move to Costa Rica where they can buy land, build a house, grow their own food, and be completely self-sustaining. In the meantime, though, they are content to raise their children unconventionally where they are.

You can learn more about their “off-grid” lifestyle by watching the video below.