Letters from Readers Page 1
Hi,
I am so pleased to find a compassionate child site on the net!
I have a web site with special sections on "Breast Feeding, Toddlers and Families" and I'll definitely be linking to you next time I get a chance to update.
Thanks for being here - I hope to send you some of my traffic soon!
Philippa Perry
What a great site! First time here and I'm excited to find information in areas that I'm currently researching such as home schooling!!
Sarah
I was reading one of your articles ["Intervening on Behalf of Children in Public Places"] and wanted to make a comment. You told a story of a child who was tossing something and slipping it into their pocket in a store, and that the item was not paid for. The father was watching with anger and snapped at the child.
I would like to suggest a way to respond with children. No matter what they are doing, they are usually investigating how something works, feeling it, totally meeting this new experience. A response might be; "Wow, what are you doing with that? It looks like fun!" Engage in supportive conversation, truly being interested in hearing the child's point of view. Children are gifted with an innocent imagination. Listen and learn from it. Remind the child that you know you have to pay for items from the store. Teach with love, not shame.
C.B.R.
I visited your web site, and I was very much impressed. It seems the children are the ones who have no voice in society... at least not one which a lot of people pay much attention to. I am glad that you are speaking on their behalf. It is wonderful to see.
David Bruce
Dear Jan,
I am surfing for the first time (just got hooked up yesterday) and was thrilled to find the Natural Child Project. I am the mother of two (a 26-month-old and a 6-week-old) and the Editor and Publisher of a newsletter entitled Raising Issues: A Forum for People with Lives at Stake. The next issue is on "Early Decisions" and I would love to include your article on "Ten Reasons to Sleep Next to Your Child at Night".
I know that I will be spending a lot of time at your web site as my beliefs seem to be very much in line with yours. Thanks!
Zoe
I have just visited your site and I am delighted with it. Thanks for the great service you are giving to all.
Sincerely,
Ana Consebik
I just read Elisabeth Hallett's "Gifted and Talented" article and it is exactly what I have been feeling toward a "VIP" program our local school has started this past year. My child is a VIP, but I believe every child is. And the harm that it will do to the self-esteem is horrible to think about. Why does our society think that everything is good or bad? Can't we all be good and have potential and worth?? Thanks for her wonderful article. It really touched my heart!!
Sincerely,
Jana Maroney
I just linked to Natural Child from the La Leche League International site. I plan to include a link on my Feminist Mothers at Home page in the Parenting sites section.
Your site is really packed with clear comprehensive information on so many different parenting topics and styles.
Keep up the great work!
Ann Allen
I am so pleased to see your web page. And how happy I was to find that your article "Nurturing Children's Natural Love of Learning" has found a new place.
Of course you know I think that piece is phenomenal - you allowed me to use it as the Foreword in my book Homeschooling In Oregon: The Handbook. Just thought you should know that the article has set a perfect tone for the rest of the book, which by the way, continues to get great reviews.
I am so glad that the article is now reaching a wider audience - Oregonians have been most fortunate to be able to enjoy their own copy for the past three years!
Thanks again for permission to share your wisdom in my state.
Ann Lahrson Fisher
The Natural Child web site is wonderful. The Oregon Home Education Network (OHEN) would be pleased to add this site to our list of "Cool Web Sites." Thank you for providing such an insightful, supportive and thought-provoking resource.
Jeanne Biggerstaff
Your site might be what makes the internet worthwhile. You say so many things that need to be said, and you write so well.
Mary and Mark Van Doren
This is absolutely the best web site for parent/child issues, and I have been to many of them. I work with parents who need to improve their parenting skills. I look forward to using your site as a resource over and over again.
Thanks,
Carolyn Simmons
Ms. Hunt:
I just wanted to tell you how much I love your site. It is an amazing collection of information and insights on topics that are important to me and my family. I will be visiting it often and recommending it to others.
I am a freelance writer and the mother of Henry, age 5, and nursling Jane, age 19 months. We recently decided to homeschool Henry and took him out of his Montessori kindergarten last Christmas. We have never been happier. I really liked your comments about what a privilege it is to get to share your child's learning, just as you shared his first word and first steps.
In appreciation,
Katie Allison Granju
Hello Jan,
i just revisited your web site and it is quite wonderful...it would have been most useful to us as parents over the last 18 years that our children have been with us. We did manage to follow what the Natural Child Project espouses including advocacy for all children.
You are providing a very useful resource for parents. What I would like to see you tackle in the future is the socio-political realm of child advocacy.
I offer you my sincere congratulations on your accomplishments.
Regards,
Ernie Yacub
I just visited your site and was impressed. Focusing on the welfare of the little people is a noble profession indeed!
The protection of our "younguns" is our contribution to the perfection of the species and is the most positive contribution to the future that we can make. It also satisfies our most primeval instincts in a very positive way.
Very best on your project - I think that "Mother Nature" (or whoever) must be very proud of you!
Warmest Regards,
Paul Norris
Congratulations on your new web page format. I returned to your site after you were highlighted by CTV's Surfcity and I am totally impressed. Your site offers parents a great resource to better our skills. Thank you for your family's efforts!
Ulrike Landry
We're expecting our first child in September, so we're reading stuff like this voraciously; in fact I sent the URL to my husband with a note that said "THIS IS HOW I WANT TO RAISE OUR KID. READ IT." I have to say I agree with everything you say, though I'm wondering how I'll feel once I actually have a kid! I think possibly more so, not less. In any event, thanks for an inspirational set of essays.
Lynn Siprelle
Dear Jan,
What a phenomenal web site! I wish I didn't have to go to sleep; I'd be up all night reading. Thank you so much. I look forward to returning soon.
Eve
I've heard such great stuff about your site, and I was finally able to take a look for myself. I would love to add a link to your site from mine! It's great that a site like yours promoting strong parenting values has become so popular. I love to think of all the parents and parents-to-be being exposed to the natural and positive side of raising our children.
Roxann
Dear Jan,
Thank you for writing back and so promptly. Your advice is wonderful. The phrase, "terrible twos" is so widely referred to. It's great to hear a "radical" perspective.
Thanks again,
Sam and Michelle
Hi Jan!
Congratulations on the Canada AM honor! You surely deserve it. I haven't found any other site that compares with yours for beauty and content and usability.
Elisabeth Hallett
I have been passing your URL around to my parenting friends and family. I'm very encouraged to see that there is a movement still to protect children's rights. In the last few months, I have been profoundly conscious that what's 'going wrong with society' has everything to do with how each successive generation is treated by its significant caregivers during the growing-up years. It just seems so clear (perhaps a delusion born of wishing there to be some answer, even if it isn't an easy one). And then I found your wonderful magazine.
So, I am passing your location around, to spread the word; perhaps the movement will grow to critical mass and someday we could really raise a world full of healthy children. I'll keep coming back for reinforcement for my instincts about how to raise my new daughter. I've done this once before (21-year-old son), but things have changed and it helps to have support like the Natural Child Project.
Rebecca N. Whittemore
After reviewing your work I have found it to be sincere, informative and has a heart that is focused on healing. I really enjoyed the parent advice area as it uncovers situations that if not dealt with openly can cause much distress and pain for our children. This world in all it's glory starts as innocent children. I find your site based on love, compassion, and guidance.
Peace through Understanding,
Jeff
I am quite impressed and awed. What a wonderful contribution!
Randy Cox
I am glad to see a site devoted to natural, instinct-driven parenting. With my first child, I slept with the baby and breastfed him into the second year. I knew I was doing the right thing, but I always apologized for it. With my second baby, I am proud of doing the right thing and am glad there is a place where sensitive parenting is encouraged.
Amy Ulness
I found [Natural Child Project] extremely interesting and informative and a very wonderful, worthwhile site.
Susan Duncan
I like the look and read of your site. Glad to see you're still at it, Jan. It's people who persevere who make the difference.
Sid Tafler
Hello Jan,
I've just returned from a very gratifying visit to the Natural Child Project and immediately added a link to it in the file "Other good sites to visit" in my Project NoSpank. While NoSpank focuses heavily on the brutal stuff that is going on all around us (that so few people want to confront), The Natural Child Project takes parents gently and firmly by the hand and points them in the right direction. Both approaches are necessary and complimentary. Good synergy.
Regards,
Jordan Riak
Congratulations and thank you. I believe this is the most important site on the web.
There is so much untapped human potential and that waste begins in childhood. Additionally, children suffer traumas that they are not equipped to deal with alone. So somewhere between these forces the future is largely shaped. Without accessible, informal, stimulating, interesting information, many parents would be trapped in the ways of the past. The future begins with us as guardians of our children.
I applaud your site because it is an oasis of good advice in what is often a desert of techno cactus. Keep up the great work.
Paris Michaels
I continue to be impressed with the gentle, firm, encouraging and useful ways in which you respond to people.
Laura Mixon