The Continuum Concept: In Search Of Happiness Lost (Classics in Human Development)

It presented me a whole new perspective on what was possible when raising children. I first read it in 1995 when my oldest was 2 years old, and it's the last parenting book I ever read. I credit its author for the amazing ease I experienced parenting my 3 daughters and for the whole human beings they developed into. It became my bible, both as a parent and a parenting coach. Here's my whole story which began with that book: I first read the book in 1995 when my oldest was 2 years old and every part of me knew it held the truth of what I'd been looking for since I was a child. It was the last parenting book I ever read. From that point on, I committed myself to figuring out how the heck to apply this in my American suburban life. I was blessed to be part of a wise community of like-minded moms, so I strongly (one might even say forcefully ☺) encouraged all of them to read the book and together we figured out how to apply it with our children. It took me about 3 years to feel like I had a good handle on it, and I then moved on to other things. Fast forward to 2011, the day my eldest turned 18. Reaching this important milestone as a parent, of having an adult child about to leave home and even the state, I spent lots of time pondering its significance, who Cassandra was as an adult, and my role as a parent of an adult child. I was struck that day by the the magnitude of what I'd accomplished with her, as I realized that I had absolutely no fears about her ability to function in the world, to find her way, to find her happiness, and even in her ability to keep herself safe. And this was considering the fact that she was planning on moving 1200 miles away from home to go to college a few months later. ​I then realized that I felt exactly the same way regarding her 2 younger sisters. And thought of how rare this absence of concern probably was in our American society, especially as a parent of 3 beautiful girls. Of how differently the moms of Cassandra's friends probably felt, compared to me as they were going through this transition. ​ I ran to my computer and wrote my first ever Amazon review that day, for this beloved book. I did so because I attribute the incredible success I've experienced with my daughters to what I learned and implemented from that book, and thought something had to be done so modern day parents could be exposed to what is possible through this parenting approach. So they would at least have a chance to live what I did, and to have the peace of mind I had. There came a clarity to me that day that I needed to find a way to share what I had done with my daughters with other parents, to somehow make accessible the knowledge and experience I had developed from studying this book and from my single-minded focus to translating its principles into my family. Even though I had no clue how to do so, and at that point had zero desire to become a parenting coach (how funny Life is! 🤣) Led by a wonderful set of synchronicities. I ended up founding ​Parenting for Wholeness and started working with Continuum parents in 2013. And I adore it. I feel honored and incredibly blessed to get to work with them and the other deeply committed conscious parents who are drawn to my work​. And grateful and awed to see that I'm able to replicate in their families the wonderful results I had in my own. My heart and soul are profoundly fed by getting to be a midwife in and witness to their families' transformations, as they too successfully integrate the Continuum Concept parenting approach into their lives.

The best parenting book that’s technically not even a parenting book. I read this when my baby girl was 3 months old and I couldn’t put it down. It reinforced everything that my intuition already knew to be true. I wish Jean wrote more books. It’s worth its weight in gold.

If you've ever questioned the medical professionals of the western world when it comes to your child care, read this book. It will open your eyes to the major differences between the cultish U.S and the rest of the world's parenting practices. An eye opener for sure.

A friend told me that this book picks up where Spiritual Midwifery leaves off. So, I read it while I was pregnant. Where the former book completely changed the way I view childbirth, Continuum Concept radically altered my view of childrearing. I knew I wanted to parent my child in a way that was very different from how I had been raised, but I wasn't sure just what to do. This book taught me to trust my heart and intuition. It taught me to know that if I listen to my son and learn from him as much as I teach him, then he will grow up strong and secure and loving, despite this crazy world. Her observations of the indigenous family structure were profoundly insightful, showing us that, sadly, we have lost a great deal in our material culture. True, there are many books related to parenting out there, but I encourage all parents to read this one. I have given a copy to every pregnant friend for almost 10 years now, and everyone has loved it and passed it on. Few investments are this worthy.

This book opened my mind to see beyond our own culture and view parenting and the family from a truly human perspective - taking into account the basic needs and expectations that are natural to the human condition, no matter in what culture one lives.I recommend this book to anyone who ever has a child, is thinking of having children, or ever was one.Parenting with this book as a guideline can change our society for the better, one individual at a time.

My husband and I read this book 9 years ago, before the birth of our son, and it spoke to our hearts. Employing the simple idea that a baby who starts life in the womb shouldn't be abruptly separated from the mother after birth, we maintained almost constant contact with him for the first few months. I was amazed at some of the resistance, resentment, even hostility, people sometimes demonstrated when informed that we slept with our newborn and never left him to cry. All their protests were based on nothing but groundless fears -- "You'll roll over and smother him! You'll 'spoil' him!" Etc. Well, he became naturally more and more independent and separate at his own pace, not an arbitrarily imposed one (that's the "continuum" part), and weaned himself from the breast at 11 months, rather than at a time decided by the "experts" or demands of employment. He is now 9 years old, and is a wonderful, happy, secure, well-adjusted boy, and I never cease getting compliments from everyone who meets him on how considerate, engaging, empathetic, kind, and well socialized he is. I credit Liedloff's book for all of this. If I could give one message to all would-be parents, I would say: Don't buy into the lie that material things are what's important to provide your child, and if you yourself are so wrapped up in financial gain that you won't temporarily sacrifice it to bond with him the first year of life, you're selling yourselves short. Invest the first 6 months to 1 year of his life raising him in your arms, and you will be giving him, and yourself, more than a billion dollars could ever buy.

This book is remarkable and I think it should be mandatory for new parents. If we still treated our children in this way, perhaps they would not be bringing guns to school or abusing their bodies in the search for the love they never received from their parents.