“Natural family living” is a growing trend
Parents of today’s youngest generation are increasingly choosing to raise their kids in more natural, even old-fashioned, ways, say supporters of a lifestyle called “natural family living.” This parenting approach involves trusting instincts over published experts and using more natural means to feed, medicate, and nurture children, which can translate into gentler effects on the environment as well. Organic and locally grown food choices often play an important part. “We’re willing to pay a little more not to have pesticides in our bodies and our kids’ bodies,” says Amy Williams-Derry, a Seattle mom. This type of thinking isn’t just for hippies anymore; mainstream doctors say they are more frequently being asked about natural approaches to child-rearing. Says family-practice physician Fernando Vega, “The natural family movement is much bigger than the dominant culture realizes.”
