52 in 52: Book #1 - Simplicity Parenting

Hey, I finished book #1 before week #1 is actually over! Be quiet all you over there who know I started it in mid-December.

Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne is about simplifying the life surrounding your children - their environment, daily rhythms, schedules, and filtering out the adult oriented world (news, mature topics, etc). Payne is a Waldorf educator and parent counselor, and I can really see the "Waldorf way" shine through this entire book. I think it is an excellent book for a non-Waldorf parent to learn how to reduce the amount of toys, books, and activities surrounding your child(ren) - however, if you have read many books on Waldorf style parenting already, this is nothing new. That being said, the book contains good examples of how and why to simplify your parenting lifestyle, and is an enjoyable read. A plus for me was that it took the Waldorfy-way of parenting and removed it from the "spirituality" (Anthroposophy) of Waldorf/Steiner education, which as a Catholic I have trouble with. So it was nice to be told the underlying benefits of rhythm and simplicity for my children, without being told it must be related to something anthroposophic. A nice intro into simplicity for mainstream parents.

I give it 4 stars. :)
****

If you enjoyed this garbled, overwordy review, there will hopefully be another next week on Sense and Sensibility. ;-)