Living simply with children : a voluntary simplicity guide for moms, dads, and kids who want to reclaim the bliss of childhood and the joy of parenting

by Marie Sherlock

Paper Book, 2003

Publication

New York : Three Rivers Press, c2003.

Description

Raising children ranks as one of life's most rewarding adventures. Yet between Mom and Dad working full-time jobs, endless carpooling of overscheduled youngsters, and the never-ending pressures to buy and consume, family life can be incredibly--needlessly--complex. What if you could find a way to spend more time with your children, replace unnecessary activities with meaningful ones, and teach your children an invaluable life lesson in the process? Living Simply with Children offers a realistic blueprint for zeroing in on the pleasures of family life: * How (and why) to live simply and find more time to be with your children * Activities and rituals that bring out the best in every family member * Realistic ways to reclaim your children from corporate America * Helping children of any age deal with peer pressure * Raising kids who care about people and the planet * How to focus on the "good stuff" . . . with less stuff Including sections on limiting television, environmentally friendly practices, celebrating the holidays, and tapping into the growing community of families who embrace simplicity, this inspiring guide will show you how to raise children according to your own values--and not those of the consumer culture--as you enjoy both quality and quantity time with your family.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member jorgearanda
Commonsensical and U.S.-centric. It sometimes feels like an advertisement for a bunch of other voluntary simplicity books, which I found rather ironic.
LibraryThing member Edith13
Great as a jumping off point. TBH if you are striving for simplicity, you're not going to learn a whole lot from this book. TBH, if you are aiming for simplicity you will not be spending $1000 on Christmas, or you will at least have worked out that this isn't on. What its great for is affirming
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simplicity as a choice that has already been made. It also recognises that those of us with young kids have to make choices that other simplifiers possibly don't, or at least not to such an acute degree, eg the choice to reduce working hours vs the choice to save and downshift.

Doesn't really generate any new ideas, and some of the kids/families quoted in the book really could send you running for the hills ("mommy, why is that man eating poisoned (trans: non-organic) food?". Well, dear, maybe because he prioritises local food over organic food airfreighted from god knows where. Or maybe he's a dad who'd rather spend a few extra hours with his kids than work. Maybe he can't afford organic food owing to the sterling US welfare system. Or maybe he's just trying to wind moms like yours up )
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Language

Physical description

xv, 287 p.; 21 cm

ISBN

9780609809013
Page: 0.3885 seconds