photo by schmollmolch
Today marks the beginning of Ezzo Week, an annual event launched in 2004 by Tulip Girl to give voice to critiques and concerns of the material created by Gary and Ann Marie Ezzo.
From 2004 forward, Tulip Girl has faithfully hosted Ezzo Week each year during the time that Growing Families International hosts its yearly National Leadership and Alumni Conference. It just so happens that this year's conference is just up the interstate from me in Tulsa.
Last year, I spent a great deal of time sharing my own concerns over the material in On Becoming Babywise. There are times I am tempted to believe that the Ezzo material has fallen out of favor and that it is not as popular as it once was. I suppose it is all relative depending on where you live and the circles in which you travel, but time and again I receive little reminders that both the materials and the philosophies reflected by GFI continue to be a prevalent force in parenting.
Throughout this week, I'll be sharing some ideas on how to speak to others about your reaction and response to Babywise and other Ezzo material. If you have a specific question or topic you would like for me to address, please email me or leave me a note in the comments.
I'll be linking to Tulip Girl though the week as well. She has prepared quite a slate of topics to be covered, and I highly encourage reading through her archives to become familiar with discussions from the past six years.
It bears repeating once again that the point of Ezzo Week is not to criticize parents who have found the material created by Gary Ezzo to be helpful and useful. Ezzo Week is not about parents who use, endorse, or promote the GFI material. It is a week to peacefully critique the material and to give voice to those who have had negative experiences with these materials. Thank you for bearing this in mind as we proceed with the week!
