A Missouri mommy blogger says she’s been accused of child abuse for her controversial parenting methods.
Kaytlynn Green, 23, always knew she wanted to be a mother and was excited to raise her kids her way when she learned she was pregnant with her oldest child, Olive.
Green reportedly does not allow Olive, 3, and Felix, 1, to go to school, see the doctor or eat meat, animal products or processed sugars.
She also does not require her kids to have a bedtime, sleep in their own bed or even wear shoes.
“I practice what’s called holistic and respectful parenting, however, people have told me I’m abusive for not allowing them to eat certain foods and tell me I don’t deserve to have children,” Green told Caters.
Advertisement
Advertisement
“People also tell me it’s dangerous to sleep in bed with them and don’t agree with me letting them be barefoot — as well as the fact I home-school them.”
The holistic mother is confident in her parenting style — though she said she was shocked by the responses she received after sharing insights into her methods online.
“I know what I do isn’t classed as ‘normal,’ but I didn’t think it was controversial. The hate doesn’t bother me, I’m very confident in my decisions, and these people don’t understand that,” Green said.
Green grew up in a large family, helping to raise her seven younger siblings. Once she began to have her own kids, she knew she wanted to raise them in a different way.
“I changed my discipline values. They shouldn’t be hit, shamed or told their opinions don’t matter. I don’t agree with the whole ‘what the parent says’ goes,” Green explained. “I was raised to feel shamed and not voice my opinion, and I don’t want my kids to feel like that.”
Even from pregnancy she knew she wasn’t going to follow the same route as everyone else and she opted to have a wild birth — with no prenatal care.
“I had a midwife for my daughter, but when she started doing things I didn’t agree with, my husband and I decided we would do it ourselves at home next time,” she said.
For her second child, Green avoided doctors because she was healthy and in tune with her body. Only she and her husband were there for the birth of her second child, which allowed the family to feel more relaxed.
Even after the births, the Greens prefer to provide for their children on their own, acting as their primary teachers, doctors, cooks, strollers — and even teddy bears.
“I practice attachment parenting, which means we stay with our babies all the time for the first six months, and we all sleep in the same bed. All four of us,” Green revealed.
They teach their kids through real-world experiences, treat sicknesses with homemade remedies, cook all their meals, only carry their children and push two beds together to sleep cuddled up together.
“We believe in child-led learning. I teach them whatever they’re interested in, and that’s what we learn about,” she disclosed. “I teach them about real-life experiences — such as going to the store and having to figure out how much things cost, although people see it as controversial.”
Green family members also rarely go see the doctor — unless their holistic methods fail — and consume a whole-food, vegan diet that’s high in raw food and rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouted grains and legumes, with very little food being cooked. The couple refuse to use a stroller for the first 12 months, opting to carry the children instead.
“We also don’t force sleep. They don’t have set bedtimes, and so we follow when they’re tired or ask to go to sleep … and we don’t force naps either,” Green said.
The mother of two doesn’t force her kids to wear shoes or socks, avoiding them herself most times. “We’ll also be barefoot in most places too. However when it’s cold in the winter we’ll wear shoes, but it also depends where we are,” Green divulged.
The Green family is incredibly close and is rarely separated. “We also don’t leave them. They don’t go to day care, and they don’t have babysitters, only when my family come to visit is when we’ll leave them,” the mother said.
The mommy blogger has connected with some parents who employ similar parenting styles and choose to ignore hateful comments.
Green is not alone: Parents are often judged online for their behavior or the behavior of their children.