Through the years, I've shared bits and pieces of my struggles in trying to follow the precepts found in Gary Ezzo's On Becoming Babywise. The burden I carry that finds its voice in As He Leads Us is born from my own need for redemption for those regrets.
There are a few reasons why I don't speak more on the topic. To begin with, I know and love several families who have found that following all or parts of Babywise to be a good thing for their families. It's hard to speak critically of a philosophy without coming across as being critical of families who embrace that philosophy. Secondly, some of my concerns about Babywise are theological ones, but I'm no theologian (sometimes we SBCers find ourselves on shaky ground when we start trying to talk about theology beyond the pages of The Baptist Faith and Message), and I've not truly invested the time I need to in order to be able to speak intellegiently on the topic.
Last week, Dr. Camille Lewis wrote a piece at A Time to Laugh titled, "Things I Never Heard in Fundamentalism - Children." This selection resonated deep within me:
The dear friend to whom she is referring is Tulip Girl who this week continues her yearly tradition of hosting Ezzo Week. Each year as the Ezzos host a conference/symposium to discuss and promote their products, Tulip Girl offers her thoughts on the philosophy and invites others to do the same. As she noted three years ago, Ezzo Week is not about blaming parents. It does offer some critical and alternative thoughts to this approach to parenting because there remains a need for this voice of opposition as long as his advice is still having a harmful impact on some families.
I'm closing comments today and encouraging you to take some time to poke around in the related articles at Tulip Girl. With a shaky voice and trembling fingers, I may share some further thoughts of my own later this week.
