Gentle Christian Mothers website statement of parenting beliefs

I agree with their statement of parenting beliefs and think I'll use this model to start making our own statement of parenting beliefs.


Our Parenting Beliefs

1. All children are a gift from God. Psalm 127:3
2. The husband/wife marriage relationship is the scriptural model for creating a family.
3. Life begins at conception, and unborn babies have a right to life and should be nurtured and loved. Psalm 139:13-16
4. Babies deserve the most natural and gentle birth possible.
5. Babies communicate through crying, and their cries deserve a quick, nurturing response.
6. Parents should not put an unnecessary emphasis on schedules.
7. Children greatly benefit from lots of physical touch, and babies can not be held too much.
8. Breastmilk is God's design in infant nutrition.
9. Breastfeeding satisfies not only babies' hunger and thirst, but it also is a great way to pacify and comfort them.
10. Breastfeeding babies on cue is important not only to help them grow strong and healthy, but it also helps them to learn to trust.
11. Breastfeeding into toddlerhood--and for as long as mother and child desire--continues to provide health and emotional benefits and serves to strengthen the foundation of trust laid in infancy.
12. Children's nighttime needs are as worthy of being met as their daytime needs, and each child has individual nighttime needs that should be respected and met to the best of their parents' ability.
13. There should be minimal separation between mother and baby, and parents need to be sensitive to their children's need to be close to them and not force separation before their child is ready.
14. Everyone benefits when children are an integral part of the family's daily life.
15. A father's involvement in raising his children is vital.
16. Parents have been given authority over their children from the Lord. Scripture is clear that discipline and correction are our responsibility as we raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
17. Fear and purposely-inflicted pain have no place in gentle, loving, Biblical discipline, and children should be discipled from birth with an appropriate mixture of kindness and firmness in a manner that respects their feelings and their developmental, emotional, and daily needs.
18. Parents are responsible for making informed decisions regarding their children's healthcare.

Beautiful!