Beyond Babywearing
Part 2: The Importance of “Tribe” in Modern Parenting
|by Anne Michelsen
Part 1 of this article revisited the classic
book The Continuum Concept: In Search of
Paradise Lost, and three important Continuum
parenting principles discovered by author Jean
Liedloff (often regarded as the mother of today’s
attachment parenting movement) based on her
experience living with a tribe of South American Indians called the Yequana: 1) Profound
trust in the child 2) The child should not be the
center of attention, and 3) A healthy human
experience includes interaction between people
of many ages.
How can we begin to reclaim the tribal experience as well?”
Whether through conscious decisions or instinct, many parents are attempting to do just
that – resurrect something of the primal, tribal
human experience. In their own ways, they are
seeking opportunities to connect with other
families in ways that are more natural, organically developing, and holistic.
Extended Family
For some families, tribe-building is as simple as
staying in place or moving back to live close to
extended family. A recent PEW study revealed
that 43% of young people ages 18-31 are now
living with their parents or other kin. This
It is easy for Stone Age parents to be available to includes a growing number of families with
their children without making them the center young children, according to Carmen WongUlrich of Baby Center Financial.
of attention. After all, they live where they
work, and their children spend most of their
Granted, this is happening primarily as a result
time freely playing with other children, both
y