Extreme Parenting

I am so sick and tired of hearing about extreme ideas in parenting. The trend today seems to embrace extremism, where parents cling to one idea or another on the pendulum that completely engulfs all of their decision making and ideas about parenting. What ever happened to critical thinking? It seems that people read books for the sake of having someone else think for them and their parenting, which creates these crusaders who are more obsessed with the fact that their parenting style is the "right way" instead of looking at their children and saying, "What is most beneficial to my child?"

I'm also tired of reading other Christians' blogs completely bash and tear down the Ezzo's. Yes, some of their ideas are extreme and totally unrealistic in practice. But who are these to believe themselves the "judge" and actually refer to themselves as "Anti-Ezzo." It's sad and sickening, and paints a sorry picture of judgmentalism and a lack of grace to the secular world.

What ever happened to reading parenting material for the sake of creating an eclectic approach to parenting? Why is it that a person has to agree with everything written by a certain author? We should be using our critical thinking and reasoning skills when picking up any book regarding our relationship with our children. Most of the books I've read present some valid points, and the points I don't agree with, I skim over and ignore. It's come to the point where parenting styles are not open for discussion - it's the new "politics" - we don't talk about it for fear of conflict and more importantly, for fear of being attacked by an extremist.

Focus should be on what is best for my child. My child is a unique individual who has benefited from an array of different approaches and interventions. I do not subscribe to a particular parenting style because my child changes with every stage she enters. I can't remain affixed on one style of parenting just because it feels safe to me...that's not parenting, that's cowardice and ignorance. If I want to remain close and connected to my daughter, I have to meet her where she is and not just cling to a particular idea of parenting just because that's a group I want to identify with.