Simplicity Parenting

August 17, 2009
Waldorf educator and consultant Payne teams up with writer Ross to present an antidote for children who are overscheduled and overwhelmed by too much information and a fast-paced consumer culture that threatens the pace and playful essence of childhood. Payne claims that a protective filter should surround childhood, rather than the competitive, stressful adult world that has encroached on childhood's boundaries, preventing kids from developing resiliency with a sense of ease and well-being. But Payne is not a doomsayer: he presents a wealth of practical ideas for reclaiming childhood and establishing family harmony. In chapters covering four levels of simplification—environment, rhythm, schedules and “Filtering Out the Adult World”—Payne explains how parents can tackle extraneous stuff and stimulation by reducing the “mountain” of toys, limiting scheduled activities, providing valuable downtime and employing such “pressure valves” as storytelling and periods of quiet. According to the authors, limiting choices and activities will lead to kids who are more secure and less stressed, and to parents whose days are calmer. With fewer choices, Payne explains, families have the freedom to “appreciate things—and one another—more deeply.” Though “simplicity parenting” may seem a stretch for some, others will find that Payne's program for restoring creative play, order and balance is long overdue.

September 28, 2009
Waldorf educator and school consultant Payne believes our families are being consumed by too much stuff, too many choices, too much information. Our society's collective stresses are interfering with our children's sense of security that allows for an emerging sense of self. Beginning with the home environment and covering such topics as toys, food, sleep, schedules, and sports, Payne persuasively shows how less is more. He wisely reminds us that in parenting, it is the spaces between the activities that relationships are built. This information is not new but perhaps sold under the banner of "simplicity" we will finally take heed.-Julianne J. Smith, Ypsilanti Dist. Lib., MI

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