I loved that magazine ‘Mothering’ and I’m sad it is no
longer published as a printed magazine.
I loved looking back at articles, and passing copies along to friends.
Anyway, natural Mama and Mothering Magazine Goddess Peggy O’Mara recently
posted something on Facebook that I loved.
In essence, she pointed out that a baby’s natural habitat is his or her
mother’s body. I love that so much. I have felt with each of my children that the
first three months of life are really like another trimester in which they must
be held and fed and cuddled by me as much as possible. I never applied the words ‘natural habitat’
to that, and I love the connection that O’Mara made.
That idea has been percolating in my brain as I go about
mothering my 4 children, not just the baby.
With him, it is clear that when he is out-of-sorts and disorganized,
being held by me in a baby carrier as I sway to music, or go about my chores
clearly brings him a deep sense of relief and relaxation. I call it an ‘organizing’ activity. It pulls him back together, and helps him be
calm in his environment. With the other
children, finding organizing activities is more complex, and less obvious. For my oldest, sometimes being busy is the
best recipe for her to feel pulled back together. Sometimes, she needs a long soak in my
bathtub combined with my attention – sitting and talking, sharing my special
bath salts. Each child needs help at times, and each child’s needs are
different.
As adults, we are charged with doing these things for ourselves. We each have to be aware of our own natural
habitat, and how to create it.
What does it mean for us and the way we live? What happens
when whole communities of people spend no time in their natural environments? Do we feel unmanageable stress, anxiety,
difficulty sleeping? It seems to me, that many of us are plagued with those
afflictions.
