Getting away from (the nastiness of) the world!

Well, the nastiness of the world continues: shootings and suicide bombers and political parties tearing themselves other apart instead of solving the problems of the world. And so I escape into other thinking about other things. 

Reading the paper yesterday I came across a new term, well, new to me: off-grid parenting. This seems to involve rejecting accepted ideas of parenting and includes a range of ideas:- 

• prolonged breastfeeding (Which is fine by me up to a point but I don't think it should be exaggerated - toddlers who are running around and talking and riding little bicycles don't need to be breastfed any longer - and personally there came a time when I wanted my body back) 

• anti-vaccination (The problem there is that potentially fatal illnesses that we thought had been eradicated, such as whooping cough, suddenly re-emerge thanks to the parents who don't have children vaccinated) 

•  anti-medicine (I have mixed feelings about this. Antibiotics have been so over-prescribed that the human race has built up a resistance to many forms. My family knows that I resist taking pills unless I have to but sometimes you just have to take the medicine!)  

• rejecting the school system (Home schooling can be fine and, goodness knows, there is a lot wrong with the school system at the moment.) 

•  the whole family sleeping in one bed (Really? I have shared my bed with children at times and know what a bad night's sleep can result from it. Besides, children need their own space too.) 

• non-assisted home births (I had a home birth and I was very glad the midwife was there when complications set in. Babies are too important to be sacrificed to airy-fairy ideas. Be flexible, for goodness sake.) 

So far so (reasonably) good but then it gets a bit wackier:- 

• not using nappies (When was that ever a good idea?!) 

• keeping the placenta attached instead of cutting the cord (Apparently you wait until it drops off of its own accord. Noooo! altogether too weird and strange. Not to say messy!) 

This all came up in an article about a young couple who appeared on morning television and scandalised many people by being unfazed when their one year old peed on the studio carpet. Cool customers, obviously. Well, yes, they seem to be; what they really want is for people to donate £100,000 so that they can start a “self-sustaining” life in Costa Rica (the fund currently stands at £140). 

Such idealism and optimism! No further comment needed!