By REBECCA WALD
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Author and lecturer Karen Ranzi at Nuage Cafe in Parkland Florida. |
In her new
book Creating Healthy Children: Through Attachment Parenting and Raw Foods
(2012) Jewish author, lecturer and mom Karen Ranzi combines two subjects that
are close to her heart in an informative compendium of sound
parenting advice and great raw food recipes that even picky toddlers will
devour.
“I began
writing my book emphasizing only raw food nutrition. However, I realized that
one cannot raise a healthy child through good food alone,” Ranzi says. “Attachment parenting is crucial. The mothers of today’s civilized world must
return to their roots and learn to listen to their maternal instincts in order
to be present to raise their children,” she says.
Much has been
written on attachment parenting since William and Martha
Sears coined the term and introduced it to millions of readers in The
Attachment Parenting Book: A Common Sense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing
Your Baby (2001). The attachment parenting style of childrearing aims to
foster a close bond between young children and their parents, especially
newborns and their mothers, through practices such as breastfeeding on demand,
co-sleeping, and baby wearing.
While more
natural ways of living are gaining acceptance, according to Karen Ranzi, many
still view the ideas presented in her book as controversial. “Most people are
resistant to change. Living a raw food lifestyle and attachment parenting are
growing movements, but they continue to be viewed as extreme by the
mainstream,” she says. “These topics are often laughed off in our society as
people are fearful of making changes, as they desire to be accepted and don’t
want to be looked at as different in a judgmental society.”
Adding to the
controversy, despite being Jewish, Ranzi takes a strong stance against
circumcision in Creating Healthy Children. She devotes a whole chapter
to the topic, which is written by her good friend Laurie Evans, a longtime
circumcision critic who also happens to be Jewish.
A book about
attachment parenting by a Jewish woman that openly disavows circumcision is a
breath of honesty. Earlier this year, actress Mayim Bialik released her book Beyond
the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the
Attachment Parenting Way (2012). Mayim Bialik’s book makes no mention of
circumcision, which has frustrated many who adhere to natural parenting
principles. Ranzi points out that circumcision, in addition to its physical
harm, absolutely goes against attachment parenting, as it severs the emotional
trust and bonding with the mother.
“Mayim Bialik
is wise to raise her children with attachment parenting, but avoiding the
circumcision issue does not go along with this parenting style, and she must
begin to realize this,” Ranzi says. “When a mother plans on nursing her child,
being present for her child in every way, then how can one justify the cutting
of her child’s most sensitive organ?”
Karen Ranzi’s
own story when it comes to recognizing the harm of circumcision is fascinating.
Her Jewish grandmother, whom she describes as a very strong-minded attachment
parent, chose to leave her son (Ranzi’s father) intact. This makes Ranzi’s own
son a third-generation Jew raised with the understanding that circumcision is
harmful. Ranzi will talk more about this fascinating aspect of her family
history in her upcoming essay for Beyond the Bris.
To read Ranzi’s
fantastic blog, which is full of great tips for getting kids to eat their
vegetables, and to learn more about her book Creating Healthy Children please
visit her site superhealthychildren.com.
Fantastic! It bothered me so much that Mayim Balik glossed right over the circumcision issue and it didn't set right with me that it is so important in attached parenting.
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone asks their local library to purchase one or more copies of this book! My library has an online book suggestion form and it took 2 minutes to look up the info needed to request the book. I hope they purchase it.:)
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