The Return of Sparkling Adventures - Merge

[Blahblah]

Normally I would assume the lack of information about them was for privacy. Unfortunately these kids have no privacy. Remeber that post about Aisha growing up? Horrible thing to write about your child. (5 mar 2010). And about such an awkward time for the child, too.

I went back to read 5 March again. "the end of cute". Yes Lauren, Aisha will really appreciate that when she grows up and reads about her monstrous upbringing.

[snarkelle]

I went back to read 5 March again. "the end of cute". Yes Lauren, Aisha will really appreciate that when she grows up and reads about her monstrous upbringing.

Wow. I have never read back that far.

Talk about a double bind.

Doesn't like her being 'cocky'... yet wants her to be 'confident'.... Above all, if you can't be cute, be 'godly'. Impossible demands.

The one thing I have learned since becoming a parent is that what children need most of all is to know that they're loved and accepted consistently, regardless of age, stage and associated behaviour. My children are approaching their teens and I can see how much of a challenge that is going to be, but I know it's supremely important if I want to maintain their trust & respect.

That post is heart breaking. Aisha's old enough to read that post now. I shudder to think what it is saying to her. If I were her (and I was in some ways, except I'm very grateful my parents' opinions of me weren't recorded publicly on the internet for posterity), it would say "You used to be gorgeous, but you've grown out of it. Now you're growing up, I still think you're ok as long as you do x, y and z. But even if you do x, y and z, I would rather you were still 3 and gorgeous."

[August]

It breaks my heart to see my older child realise people find littler kids cute.

[ThatSnark]

I think I've said this before, but in Lauren's universe things only exist in as much as they have a purpose or benefit for Lauren. I truly believe that she does not see the girls as anything but satellites of herself, objects to be manipulated and toyed with in her grand sparkly adventures. The girls aren't credited with personalities at all by her.

The girls are interchangeable chess pieces. I honestly can't remember anything I've read that would indicate that Lauren acknowledges that these girls have feelings or emotions or preferences of their own. Even those stupid birthday interviews are manipulated by her.

All I ever see are endless pics of them doing dangerous things while Lauren sits back and observes from a distance so she can write her travel guides.

You have put your finger on exactly what I find most disturbing about her-- were I to meet A, B, C, and D, I would not know the first thing about any of them as individuals. Even the photo captions are detached and impersonal: "Aisha catches a blade of grass," and the like, not offering any glimpses into their personalities. Calista seems a bit more reserved and cautious than her sisters, but that's based on me probably over-interpreting her not wanting to join in as much.

The blog posts are Lauren's travelogues. When these girls grow up and are able to read the precious legacy that their mother is writing for them, they will not recognize themselves as anything other than props in her story. It's so sad.

[August]

It wouldn't be sad if it were an intentional decision. It would be quite rational for an adult to want a sort of travelogue about travelling with kids, but to have concerns about privacy. You would have to feature the children somewhat, but you could keep it impersonal, focussed on the toilet facilities and suitability for certain age groups. You'd refer to 'the girls" or the older girls or the younger girls or kids over six or three year olds or other impersonal things.

You wouldn't post naked pics of them, you wouldn't post pics of them having a tantrum. Which she does. The girls are props to help her build a story of what a wonderful mother she wants you to think she is. I think she would absolutely paint little portraits of what excellent testaments to radical unschooling they are if she cared to pay enough attention to them to do that, or, more importantly, realise that it's what normal people would be interested in. Never forget that she's babywised those girls from birth.

Does anyone else here read Soulemama? I think she has a decent balance between privacy and small tidbits about her children. She stays faaar away from discussing unschooling, though. Controversy would not advance her brand.

[Blahblah]

Can't believe she'll respond to this one but it sure would be interesting if she does:

"1 · A · 7 March 2013, 22:36

Lauren, I wonder if you’d do a post on how you translate life activities into learning activities, and how you make sure the basic foundation is there? It’s easy with special outings like this one, there’s erosion, friction, granite geology, talking about particle size and how far water can shift things, looking for life under rocks, talking about the challenges of living on a beach, maps etc. And of course, the nature journal (ours are made of watercolour paper so they can use aquarelles).

But how do you bring angles, fractions, homonyms, analogy into a day? How do you increase the complexity of their writing? I feel like everything’s easier for me because I’m not wedded to a philosophy and can choose what works for my kids and I. I’m curious, having read many an unschooler debate on strewing and assuming you’re anti-strewing, how it looks day to day.

Sorry I can’t take it to facebook like you asked, I don’t facebook."

[Wolfie]

As for this comment ...

"I remember my grandparents telling me about growing up barefoot on the farm. I used to love the story about bringing the cows in for milking on a frosty winter morning and my grandparents would stand in freshly produced cow pats to warm up their frosty bare feet. How times have changed! :)"

Thank God! This is not something to romanticise.

Really? Really?

Yeah, beef cattle farm in the family, we have never talked about cow patties other than to avoid the still wet ones, and use the apparently dry ones for baseball bases only with extreme caution.

[desertvixen]

I see those dirty little feet and recall two things from past posts of hers: one, a picture of little naked Del sleeping on the van seat, exhausted. (I thought, she's possibly not totally toilet-trained!) and two, how when they stayed at a hotel in April or May last year, they were enjoying the comforts and fighting their persistent lice infestation. How many people whose homes they've stayed at were informed ahead of time about the lice?...

Ick.

I just do not understand the naked picture taking. I haven't taken a picture of my daughter with no clothes on since she was one or so, and certainly not posting them online. It just seems wrong.

[Sydney Fox]

Does anyone else here read Soulemama? I think she has a decent balance between privacy and small tidbits about her children. She stays faaar away from discussing unschooling, though. Controversy would not advance her brand.

Soulemama also glossed over her children's getting whooping cough last year. She refused to get into an argument about her anti-vax stance. Soulemama is much more brand savvy than Sparkling Lauren ever will be. Her children are cute and well-tended, clad in homespun knits, with a pastoral lifestyle that sucks you in. Lauren's girls are barely washed, barely fed, neglected waifs, and I see little appealing about her Sparkling lifestyle. Lauren does not paint a pretty picture like Soulemama does.

[CrankyCatLady]

At least Delaney has a life vest on in the post at the beach.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

Soulemama also glossed over her children's getting whooping cough last year. She refused to get into an argument about her anti-vax stance. Soulemama is much more brand savvy than Sparkling Lauren ever will be. Her children are cute and well-tended, clad in homespun knits, with a pastoral lifestyle that sucks you in. Lauren's girls are barely washed, barely fed, neglected waifs, and I see little appealing about her Sparkling lifestyle. Lauren does not paint a pretty picture like Soulemama does.

I went to check out Soulemama's blog and it took me precisely thirty seconds before I was all "OMG I want to move to a farmhouse in Maine and have a million babies and chickens!" and that is so not my scene. She's GOOD. :lol:

[CrankyCatLady]

Apparently, Soulemama has a lot of behind-the-scenes help to create that idyllic lifestyle. I don't read her, but there's a thread on GOMI about her.

[Sydney Fox]

I went to check out Soulemama's blog and it took me precisely thirty seconds before I was all "OMG I want to move to a farmhouse in Maine and have a million babies and chickens!" and that is so not my scene. She's GOOD. :lol:

I know. This is my dream, but I know it's just not real. Life is so much messier than Soulemama presents it to be.

[August]

I went to check out Soulemama's blog and it took me precisely thirty seconds before I was all "OMG I want to move to a farmhouse in Maine and have a million babies and chickens!" and that is so not my scene. She's GOOD. :lol:

Last time I read her I ended up googling spinning wheels. I may or may not have investigated urban chickens on previous forays. Her very old archives are a different story, not in a Lauren way, she just develops a brand and a voice from a starting point of your average middle class mother who would read soulemama and google spinning wheels.

I'll read the GOMI thread, but she definitely has help, her husband is in the business full time, too, and there was a pic of her two older boys with a caption implying it was their job to clean the kitchen after dinner. That's something we mothers of very young children forget. There will come a time when the housework splits four or more ways.

[B5SnowDog]

Apparently, Soulemama has a lot of behind-the-scenes help to create that idyllic lifestyle. I don't read her, but there's a thread on GOMI about her.

Like Pioneer Woman?

[merrily]

This sort of sums up soulemama http://www.renegademothering.com/2012/0 ... ng-mama-2/ (not broken because I doubt the blogger would mind.)

[lilith]

Lauren's latest Instagram. She'll be in a relationship and probably pregnant again within 6 months.

[happy atheist]

That will only end badly. She is not cut out for that sort of lifestyle.

[yetanothermeg]

Hmm, discussing the Ethical Slut in a "conscious women's circle"....I predict she comes out as lesbian/bisexual next.

[Sister_Wife]

Comments on the SA Facebook page are interesting. I've wondered how long until she posted/wrote something that her fan girls were shocked by.

While I'm sure she has a large following of new agers, there are still many many that have been following her since she was a Christian mummy blogger, and will be shocked about her foray into ethical sluthood!

[truthseeker]

Lauren's latest Instagram. She'll be in a relationship and probably pregnant again within 6 months.

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The leg-humpers are not happy. There's an exodus underway. Can't wait to see how she responds ....

[merrily]

She's like a different kind of Ms Raquel. selfishness on a whole another angle.

[lilith]

The leg-humpers are not happy. There's an exodus underway. Can't wait to see how she responds ....

Lol, I just checked the responses out. Very funny. I love that Lauren's potential sex life is what they will leave over, not the child neglect, the self righteousness, the crazy etc etc.

I couldn't give a damn who Lauren sleeps with, I just find it very typical Lauren behaviour to feel the need to find a source that will tell her how to do it, give her a blueprint to follow, and show her how to justify it as the ethical, enlightened choice.

[Patsy]

I love that Lauren's potential sex life is what they will leave over, not the child neglect, the self righteousness, the crazy etc etc.

Seriously.

[Guest Anonymous]

Seriously.

This. After I glass of wine last night I was tempted to write similar words on her FB page (I resisted and poured another glass, as I knew I'd only be deleted and blocked).

I wonder if this will damage the number of invitations Lauren gets to park up the Grifted Gypsy and join in her "new friend's" lives? Of course, it may well score her some new, interesting friends, but I can't see too many of the nice Christian Mommy bloggers being willing to allow Lauren the same freedom to ride into their marriages, the way they allow her children to roam over their children's toys.