Extreme Parenting: 7 Outrageous Things Parents Have Done with Their Kids
We've all heard of extreme breastfeeding - but extreme parenting? Is there such a thing?
Earlier this month, we read about one mother who introduced her toddler to the process of butchering chickens, which to some (especially those raising kids in the city, miles away from chickens and cows), could be considered extreme. "It's all relative," says Jessie. "Butchering chickens may seem extreme to some, but it's part of living on a farm. All of my farming friends do the same."
This got us wondering what other things parents were doing that may not seem "extreme" to them - but may seem a bit outrageous to other parents around the country. To get right into the thick of things, we asked parentes to share stories of their most extreme acts of parenting - and those that they experienced themselves growing up. Their answers may surprise you.
1. Watering pot plants
My parents grew pot in the basement for my much older brothers, and I'd water the plants when I did laundry. But I never smoked it! Nor did my parents. They just didn't want them growing it in their dorm room and my mom had a green thumb.
- Ciaran Blumenfeld
Related: 10 things you should NEVER say to your husband...but probably do
2. Taking a 4-year-old to the Middle East
Many people thought taking my four-year-old daughter to Jordan for ten days was extreme because they have fear about the Middle East in general. We rode camels, slept in tents, had Arabic tea with Bedouins, and swam in the Dead Sea. What did I think was the most extreme part of the trip for my daughter? The 24 hour flight.
- Jaime Morrison Curtis
3. Attending an open casket funeral
My sister-in-law and father passed away this year within a couple of months of each other, and we let both our children (9 and 6) attend their funerals (plus the open-coffin wake for my SIL). I think it helped them come to terms with the finality of death, though I'm still not crazy about the idea of letting them see their aunt's body.
- Shana Aborn
Related: Extreme breastfeeding! 21 photos of women nursing in outrageous places
4. Whitewater rafting with a 6-year-old
I took my daughter Emilia (6) whitewater rafting, which is not quite chicken-butchering, but did involve screaming, so ...
- Catherine Connors
5. Jumping off roofs
Many summer days, the three of us, along with the occasional friend or cousin, would spend 10 hours at a stretch with no adults around. We did ridiculously dangerous things like jump off the barn roof, as well as ridiculously naughty things, like how I would sometimes bring my Shetland pony into my upstairs bedroom and tie him to the foot of my bed while I spent the afternoon reading one of my mother's battered paperback novels by Tom Wolfe or Erica Jong.
- Katie Allison Granju
Related: 14 outrageous, sex-themed beds you won't believe are real
6. Letting a 6-year-old ride a roller coaster
I threw my oldest (who was 6 at the time) on a rollercoaster that I wasn't even willing to ride until I was 14 years old.
- Casey Mullins
7. Memories from the slaughterhouse
I grew up on a farm and have seen the butchering process. It's lovely.
- Joanne Bamberger
For even more outrageous things parents have done with their kids, visit Babble!
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