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Sydney Fox

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Overall though I think the Maxwell's need help. They need to let their kids grow up and make their own decisions. What would happen if Steve were killed in a car accident? Or dropped dead of a heart attack? Who'd make the decisions then?

Considering Steve's age and the stress that comes with policing the family's every move and thought, I think a heart attack is inevitable. He may be physically fit, but stress and genetics play a major role in his cardiac health.

And what will they do? I suspect Teri would collapse and Nathan would take over the empire.

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Considering Steve's age and the stress that comes with policing the family's every move and thought, I think a heart attack is inevitable. He may be physically fit, but stress and genetics play a major role in his cardiac health.

And what will they do? I suspect Teri would collapse and Nathan would take over the empire.

I think John will take over. Nathan and Chris cannot police the other kids while raising their own families so that leaves John. He is the only one with a rebel streak and the only one who can fix Uriah so it has to be him. At the ages those kids get married he may be able to marry them all off and still remain single well into his 30's and then chose a fundie light wife.

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It took the whole of the rest of the family a month to organise a trip to the zoo and dinner at a family restaurant, so I am not hopeful for them when Steve kicks the bucket. :twisted:

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What if you want to feed a baby every 4 hours but they get hungry after 2?

Well, in Pearl World the baby must wait. He/she is obviously being manipulative, willful, and defiant and should be chastized and broken of this sin. I really hope Anna is not of this mindset, but I am sure there will be a schedule of some sort. I have never understood how anyone can get a baby to stick to a schedule for nursing; none of mine ever did. Do you think the Maxwell families actually schedule in times for nursing, rocking, diaper changing, playing with the baby, and so on? Is anything allowed to be spontaneous?

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Well, in Pearl World the baby must wait. He/she is obviously being manipulative, willful, and defiant and should be chastized and broken of this sin. I really hope Anna is not of this mindset, but I am sure there will be a schedule of some sort. I have never understood how anyone can get a baby to stick to a schedule for nursing; none of mine ever did. Do you think the Maxwell families actually schedule in times for nursing, rocking, diaper changing, playing with the baby, and so on? Is anything allowed to be spontaneous?

When looking at reviews on Amazon for Managers of their Homes, the Maxwells apparently have a whole chapter in the book about scheduling a baby. I have read it includes keeping the baby busy if they start to fuss so that feeding always happens at the scheduled time, and that a mum will need every toy under the sun to keep baby occupied. I think the reviews said Teri offers advice of how to keep baby from feeding during church, bible time, school etc.

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That poor little baby....Anna Marie will probably follow whatever advice Teri gives her without question...cuz you know her precious hubby was raised like that and he turned out SO well and all :shock:

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I'm curious about blanket training, so I googled it, seems to have a very virulent anti-following. Do parents use this as a punishment for their children? How different is that to the naughty step/corner? I can understand some parents using it as emotional abuse but surely it must have some positive benefits too? Any parents here want to step up and say they use/used blanket training?

When I was a child (3 upwards), my Mother would nap in the afternoon sometimes and I would be expected to stay in my room for that time, reading, playing with toys, drawing or sleeping myself. As long as I didn't leave the safety of the bedroom, I had free reign. I remember enjoying this quiet time (as Mum called it) and looked forward to it. This "training" (although she never called it that) became very valuable when Mum went on bedrest when she was pregnant with my sister when I was 4.

I understand that a bedroom is a lot more interesting and entertaining than a blanket, but the principle is the same isn't it? Plus, I grew up valuing quiet alone time.

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Christopher may not have been raised in such a controlling manner until he was around 8 or 9. The family was fairly normal until then-attended a real church, played sports, had friends, etc. I think the reversal babies probably suffered from the scheduling and the first three babies may have escaped.

I can see trying to get a baby to sleep through the night and not play (had a friend with a 10 month old baby who woke up at 1am every night to be entertained, not to eat) once it reaches a certain age, but mostly they just need to be fed when they are hungry. Who cares if you nurse during church or dinner or Bible time? The baby is doing the work. Mom can still eat, pray, teach, listen, converse, read. Feed the baby when hungry!

Can anyone explain to me exactly WHY some of these people are so fixated on scheduling?

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However, the schedule includes blanket training, which is a big "so what" and seriously crosses the line of normal parenting for me.

Blanket training does not have to mean torturing a kid. A gentle verbal reminder "it's quiet time--stay on your blanket please," also works. I know many, many Moms who have done versions of it who wouldn't dream of smacking their kid. They have to be on their blanket or "their" chair in the family room or whatever works for that family. And they have to stay there. Usually its to avoid the N-word that all little kids hate--N-A-P.

Do we know that Melanie swats the girls? If not, she may just do like this. I may have missed the part where they tell exactly how they do this so forgive me if I'm wrong and they do swat them.

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I'm curious about blanket training, so I googled it, seems to have a very virulent anti-following. Do parents use this as a punishment for their children? How different is that to the naughty step/corner? I can understand some parents using it as emotional abuse but surely it must have some positive benefits too? Any parents here want to step up and say they use/used blanket training?

When I was a child (3 upwards), my Mother would nap in the afternoon sometimes and I would be expected to stay in my room for that time, reading, playing with toys, drawing or sleeping myself. As long as I didn't leave the safety of the bedroom, I had free reign. I remember enjoying this quiet time (as Mum called it) and looked forward to it. This "training" (although she never called it that) became very valuable when Mum went on bedrest when she was pregnant with my sister when I was 4.

I understand that a bedroom is a lot more interesting and entertaining than a blanket, but the principle is the same isn't it? Plus, I grew up valuing quiet alone time.

Babies/toddlers are hit (I think a wooden spoon is suggested for this purpose) if they move away from the blanket during the "training". It's totally different than a child entertaining themselves in their room for a while.

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While I hope the Younger Maxwell parents lighten up loads, it isn't uncommon to raise kids the way you were raised. Remember, they have been taught that this is "right" and "good" and all those other words.

And, someone mentioned a strict schedule at Nathan's house. So what. That makes kids feel secure and can be a very good thing. Yes, like anything, it too can become "an idol," but for the most part little kids thrive on a strict schedule. I guess I don't see the harm there.

Overall though I think the Maxwell's need help. They need to let their kids grow up and make their own decisions. What would happen if Steve were killed in a car accident? Or dropped dead of a heart attack? Who'd make the decisions then?

I think whatever schedule works for you is the right one, but anecdotally, the families I know who had strict/rigid schedules were way more stressed out than I was.

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Babies/toddlers are hit (I think a wooden spoon is suggested for this purpose) if they move away from the blanket during the "training". It's totally different than a child entertaining themselves in their room for a while.

Blanket training doesn't necessarily involve hitting. Many families use the enticement of special toys to interest the baby in playing on the blanket and when they venture off she/he is placed back on to it with a cheerful attitude. The amount of time that baby needs to stay on the blanket starts out very small (2-3 minutes) and is gradually increased as the child gets the idea. I've never felt the need or desire to blanket train my kiddos, but just wanted to share that the process frequently does not involve any kind of corporal punishment whatsoever. I've never heard of a wooden spoon being used for blanket training *shudders*

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They probably start with infants so that staying still on the blanket is ingrained before the kids become mobile toddlers. Good luck convincing a toddler to sit on a blanket and not move off of it! I think that some of blanket training is just like very early toilet training - it's training the parent more than it's really training the child.

That said, the daycare teachers do SOMETHING to convince my 14 month old and her friends to stay on their little cots during nap time, even if they're not sleepy. I've seen it and it usually involves a teacher sitting right nearby during the time a child is transitioning from crib to cot, to corral an escaping kiddo and return him/her to their sleeping space. I know with Little Bug currently obsessed with books, they can hand her a few board books and she'll very happily "read" on her cot for a while. ;) I've also seen the teachers hugging and cuddling a kid who's just not having a good day, and of course corporal punishment is never used. It's just an issue of constant reinforcement and redirection when needed.

I think something like blanket training can be done without using corporal punishment - it's just that the fundies usually include whacking the poor baby with a wooden spoon. :(

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They probably start with infants so that staying still on the blanket is ingrained before the kids become mobile toddlers. Good luck convincing a toddler to sit on a blanket and not move off of it! I think that some of blanket training is just like very early toilet training - it's training the parent more than it's really training the child.

That said, the daycare teachers do SOMETHING to convince my 14 month old and her friends to stay on their little cots during nap time, even if they're not sleepy. I've seen it and it usually involves a teacher sitting right nearby during the time a child is transitioning from crib to cot, to corral an escaping kiddo and return him/her to their sleeping space. I know with Little Bug currently obsessed with books, they can hand her a few board books and she'll very happily "read" on her cot for a while. ;) I've also seen the teachers hugging and cuddling a kid who's just not having a good day, and of course corporal punishment is never used. It's just an issue of constant reinforcement and redirection when needed.

I think something like blanket training can be done without using corporal punishment - it's just that the fundies usually include whacking the poor baby with a wooden spoon. :(

I guess I don't get why you would ever put that much work into something so small. I don't have a problem with playing quietly but i sincerly doubt that blanket training is the wholesome thing persuaded would like us to believe. Why not just use something devised to contain infants if that is important to you?

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I guess I don't get why you would ever put that much work into something so small. I don't have a problem with playing quietly but i sincerly doubt that blanket training is the wholesome thing persuaded would like us to believe. Why not just use something devised to contain infants if that is important to you?
The reasoning given by supporters is usually that a blanket is best because a blanket is completely portable. So if you want your kid to stay in one spot in church, you just spread it on the pew. You want you kid to stay in one spot at a neighbor's house, spread it over there. The blanket folds up and can be put in Mom's purse, while regular playpens are bulky and require setup.

The creepy part about blanket training as I've read about it is how some people will purposely lure the kid off the blanket with a cookie or similar treat and then punish.

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They are announcing it really early...i am due June 6th, and only my family, select people at work, and close friends on facebook know. If I had a well known blog, I wouldn't be announcing it to strangers. I did put my pregnancy on my blog but it is really only read by close friends who know how hard its been to get pregnant.

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I guess I don't get why you would ever put that much work into something so small. I don't have a problem with playing quietly but i sincerly doubt that blanket training is the wholesome thing persuaded would like us to believe. Why not just use something devised to contain infants if that is important to you?

I wasn't trying to convince anyone that blanket training is always a great thing, and certainly not that it never involves corporal punishment. I was just sharing that blanket training is often done without harshness or corporal punishment. Sadly, it often does involve "light smacks" (which I in no way condone.) I've never witnessed anyone using a wooden spoon or any other kind of implement while blanket raining their child, but unfortunately I'm sure that some parents are.

As for the reasoning behind the practice, I believe that it was originated by a mother who was in the mission field and without many of the usual amenities. She trained her children to play on a blanket for their safety. While she and her little one were at some kind of meeting, some other mothers saw how her child was able to play (relatively) freely on the blanket. They apparently thought that was a wonderfully nifty thing, so then they in turn tried it with their own little ones. At this point I think blanket training has often degenerated to either an exercise in parental control or convenience.

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So even Christopher refers to his wife as Anna Marie?? I wonder how her family feels about that. And also why Reversal Anna could not be known by her middle name instead? Respecting your elders, and all.

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So even Christopher refers to his wife as Anna Marie?? I wonder how her family feels about that. And also why Reversal Anna could not be known by her middle name instead? Respecting your elders, and all.

Maybe she likes it? It is a pretty name. They could go by Anna Sr, and Anna Jr. Or Older Anna, younger Anna. Many families find, through marriage, that there are 2 people with the same first name, they find ways to differentiate which they mean when talking. We had several Williams in our family, one was Bill, one Will, and one Willie. Same with the Michaels; Michael, Mike, Mikey.

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I guess I don't get why you would ever put that much work into something so small. I don't have a problem with playing quietly but i sincerly doubt that blanket training is the wholesome thing persuaded would like us to believe. Why not just use something devised to contain infants if that is important to you?

That's what I was thinking. Don't they sell swings and bouncy seats and play gyms for babies any more? These items worked great for me when I was trying to get some things done - in the same room and with my eye always on the baby. What's the purpose of blanket training? So you don't have to watch your own baby? I don't get it, either.

Random comment: And if somehow these items have been proven abusive, horrible items since I had babies, just keep me in the dark about that, please. My babies seemed to enjoy them.

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So even Christopher refers to his wife as Anna Marie?? I wonder how her family feels about that. And also why Reversal Anna could not be known by her middle name instead? Respecting your elders, and all.

I'm sure if he said "Anna's pregnant", everybody would know WHICH Anna.... :shock: .

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That's what I was thinking. Don't they sell swings and bouncy seats and play gyms for babies any more? These items worked great for me when I was trying to get some things done - in the same room and with my eye always on the baby. What's the purpose of blanket training? So you don't have to watch your own baby? I don't get it, either.

Random comment: And if somehow these items have been proven abusive, horrible items since I had babies, just keep me in the dark about that, please. My babies seemed to enjoy them.

They do indeed still sell them. They've had some hate a bit recently, because they're considered "easy babysitters." Which I find to be bullshit, since they're a lot better than TV and much, much better than blanket training. FFS. Mothers can't possibly hold their babies or pass them off to someone else ALL the time. And blanket training, getting past the obvious abuse, is no different to me than plopping Junior in front of a TV with a Baby Einstein DVD.

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They do indeed still sell them. They've had some hate a bit recently, because they're considered "easy babysitters." Which I find to be bullshit, since they're a lot better than TV and much, much better than blanket training. FFS. Mothers can't possibly hold their babies or pass them off to someone else ALL the time. And blanket training, getting past the obvious abuse, is no different to me than plopping Junior in front of a TV with a Baby Einstein DVD.

That's good to know.

With three little ones three and under at one point, we would have lived in squalor with no cooked meals if it had not been for those little contraptions. I never left the room when I had babies in swings or playing with a play gym, but I had to occasionally vacuum and dust and cook.

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