Mayim Balik is a woman of many talents.
Not only is she an actress and a mom, but she has a Ph.D. in neuroscience.
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So, how does one of the smartest women in show business parent her kids? Well, she has a ton of tips and tricks to share, so let’s get into it!
1. Her kids didn’t wear diapers.
Instead, they practiced “Elimination Communication,” which involved Mayim looking for signs in her children that they needed to go to the bathroom.
She had her son, Miles, potty trained by his first birthday.
2. Homeschooling is the name of the game.
Before she returned to acting, Mayim and her now ex-husband chose to home school their children.
She laid out her reasons in a YouTube video.
Her reasons were pretty sound, and probably familiar to anyone who homeschools their children.
Among them, she listed the ability to control the curriculum, scheduling, and broadening learning outside of a structured school environment.
3. Their punishments are unconventional.
One of Mayim’s parenting techniques involves a unique approach to punishment.
Her sons are not yelled at, put in time-outs, or spanked. Discipline is more on the gentle side, and involves communication.
4. Kids can sleep in the bed.
Unlike most parents who eventually wean their kids off of sleeping in their bed, Mayim encourages the opposite.
She and her kids practice “co-sleeping,” in which they share the same sleeping surface.
5. Birth is for everyone.
When it came time to give birth to her second son, Frederick, Mayim made a few decisions.
One, she would have a home birth.
Two, Miles could be present, and she encouraged him to participate in the birth of his brother. He even cut the cord.
6. Babies should be worn.
“Baby-wearing” involves near-constant use of a baby sling—at least for Mayim.
Carrying of the baby encourages a close parent-child bond, which Mayim believes in. It plays a role in her adherence to holistic parenting.
7. Her kids were breastfed pretty late.
Mayim practices “holistic parenting,” one aspect of which involves breastfeeding your children for a while.
She actually breastfed her children until they were 3 or so, after which she weaned them off.
Mayim’s not the only celebrity to go the prolonged route for breastfeeding.
Jada Pinket-Smitt, Miranda Kerr, Kourtney Kardashian, and tons of other celebrity moms have breastfed their kids for more than a year, too.
8. No smart phones.
Mayim refuses to buy either of her children a smart phone.
She describes herself as a “fuddy-duddy” who doesn’t believe kids need phones. She also doesn’t think kids need video games in their hands.
9. Absolutely no meat.
Mayim is a vegan, and so are her children.
She describes her vegan kids as kids “[…] who are ethically and morally connected to their meals in the way we choose to be.”
10. No medication.
Not for the little things, anyway.
Colds and flus are not treated with painkillers or cold medication, but with natural remedies and homeopathy.
She believes some medicines interrupt your body’s natural processes.
11. Sorry is not required.
For Mayim, the expected manners aren’t whispered furtively under her breath when her sons forget to say “please,” “thank you,” or “sorry.”
Instead, she waits them out , and allows them to learn when to say those words.
12. No TV.
Even though Mayim is a TV star, she didn’t allow her oldest son to watch TV for a long time.
His first introduction to television came when she showed him a home birth video to prepare him for his own brother’s birth.
Mayim has her reasons for that, too.
She wants to protect her kids from the influence of media so that they can grow up to be themselves without being shaped by what they’ve watched on TV.
It’s not so far-fetched as we might think.
After all, some kids who are fans of British show Peppa Pig have started speaking with a British accent .
13. No Christmas presents.
Mayim is Jewish, but married into a family that celebrated Christmas.
While she is fine with grandparents buying Christmas presents, she has chosen not to do the same.
She doesn’t celebrate Christmas in their house.
I mean, that just makes sense. They’re a Chanukah house! (No, the kids don’t get presents for that, either.)
14. No using the internet for learning.
While many of us turn to the internet to teach us any number of things (I recently researched mitre saws, because I’m super cool), Mayim doesn’t believe in that.
Her children are to turn to books for the information they require.
Which, let us be honest, is amazing.
Too many children don’t even bother with reading anymore!
15. No playrooms.
Toys that don’t serve a purpose have no room in her house.
Toys that help learn, however, are welcome. She encourages her kids to explore science and music with toys.
16. No medicine.
Mayim has apparently never given her children any type of painkiller, fever-reducer, or antibiotic and prefers to treat any ailments naturally.
17. Everything happens on-demand.
Most parents create a schedule (especially for food) and teach their children to follow it, but Mayim believes that everything (especially food) should happen based on when her children want it.
18. Her kids have to be environmentally-conscious.
This makes sense when you consider that her kids are also totally vegan, but Mayim makes sure her kids are treating the environment kindly.
19. Her kids are supposed to come to her, not their Dad.
This rule was in effect while Mayim and her husband were still together, and it’s not as bad as it sounds.
If there was a problem Mom could solve, her kids were encouraged to not bother their dad and let him work by coming to Mom for the solution.
So really, she did this so that dad could have a break.
20. Yelling is a mistake.
Nobody’s a perfect parent, and, like everyone, Mayim can lose her temper and raise her voice with her kids sometimes.
However, she makes sure to teach her kids that yelling is not the solution to any problem, and she always apologizes.
That’s honestly so amazing.
