Off grid parenting

[Queenofthedrivensnow]

I don't want to pull apart any families who have been in the press - mn put that to bed and rightly so.

However I'm really interesting in a discussion about it. What are the common features? What's the motivation? Any mners doing it? I want to learn, not chastise.

Why is 'on grid'? So bad?

For context I bf, delayed jabs, co slept, avoid antibiotics if I can, sling carried but I wouldn't home school.

Very curious

What has slings or bf got to do with it?

delayed jabs oh because you think you are cleverer than the doctors, scientists and all of the research

avoid antibiotics if I can yeah I avoid them too, unless I'm ill

What is 'off grid parenting'? Going against medical advice?

@HowlsMovingBungalow I'm curious to know!

Delaying jabs doesn't make you an off grid parent, it makes you a moron.

Off grid parenting appears to be doing everything the opposite of the mainstream - kind of the parenting version of 'sticking it to the man'. Alternative parenting, if you like. Usually to the detriment of the children. As you may be able to tell, I'm not a fan.

Problem is, a lot of these alternatives are alternative because they are not as beneficial to children as the mainstream choice.

Homeschooling. Beneficial to a small handful of children who will not flourish in a standard school environment but the majority of children would suffer, or receive an inadequate education, as a result of it.

Not vaccinating. Again a small handful of children cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons etc. Clearly vaccinating is the responsible thing to do, but off the grid parents apparently know better than medical experts.

Antibiotic avoidance - anyone sensible wouldn't take or give their children unneeded antibiotics. Gone are the days when people thought they'd cure a cold. With the way doctors are now about prescribing them you know if they recommend them they're really needed. Again, off the grid-ders know better than the doctors.

I don't count breastfeeding or babywearing as an off the grid thing to do. Both are, IMHO totally mainstream non alternative things to do!

'Delayed jabs'

Utter selfishness

@motheroftinydragons yeh that's my question- I don't think those are off grid either but those are what the various newspaper articles have listed. I don't get it.

Also I didn't post an aibu either.

hi,i started the thread yesterday that got deleted (think mnhq where heavy handed imo) as threads about the Radfords can run and run with plenty commented on their parenting

anyway living of grid imo is up to the individual as long as it dosent effect others which i would think is pretty difficult

also people have differrent ideas about OG

op why did you delay jabs??

Just wondered why delay jabs and avoid antibiotics? Context DS chesty cough roaring temp.. goes to docs chest infection - day into antibiotics and cough has pretty much cleared up. No brainer for me! Would you do the same OP?

@whatsthestory123 wanted a bit of thinking time. My dc are fully jabbed though I'm not anti vax.

I'm very worried about over use of anti biotics and have refused them in the past for the dds. I only have my own anecdotes though I'm in no way qualified to tell anyone what to do. Doesn't mean I would be difficult about it if they were seriously ill and hospitalised.

@Mondaytired probably not, no

What does it mean to you op?

We decided to delay the mmr jab until 15months as that is when most of Europe has it and there's some evidence that before this age it is less effective later on. Don't know about the rest of the off grid stuff.

I dont get the antibiotic thing op.

It's not the 1980s where they were prescribed a lot. Doctors nowadays are pretty cautious about prescribing them. I reckon if a doctor prescribes them, they are doing so for good reason. Are you medically trained?

@Misty9 that was our thinking too

Maybe my questions arnt that clear.

Ok so is it a new trendy thing?

If you are off grid can you use the library?

I'm very on grid and just eye roll at the published family. Seems like a way of justifying not working to me

Lazy reporting tbh. I know a lot of what would be described as extreme hippies (anti-vax, don't register/home ed etc) who are the closest I would imagine but off grid to me is living without accessing public services. The family in that article accessed minimal services, but were fairly mainstream IMO

Yesterday's thread was horrible and rightly deleted, as it seemed to descend into discussing how gross they must smell etc. Which isn't cool.

@HellenaHandbasket that made a lot of sense. I thought maybe it was like that freeman of the land thing

I think it’s a massive excuse not to work or bother parenting your kids.

I can only assume these parents have never had serious infections and don’t know how fucking painful it is.

It’s going to happen one day that a child like this is made a ward of the court to receive medical care because they’ve got cancer but the parents think açai berries are better than chemo.

If you want to go off grid go and live in a developing country with no infrastructure. Now that’s off grid.

I've been on antibiotics for three weeks now. Is probably gave blood poisoning if I hadn't of been.



I know one of them too. 🤪

Off grid to my mind was, in simple terms, living in a log cabin not on any power/eater grid type things. I guess off grid parenting would be not using schools, health visitors, vaccinations, dentists etc. So perhaps the family in quest are technically nearly there, but I don't think claiming council help would count as you'd have to put your kids 'on the grid' to be able to access that help.

And that's precisely why we need to limit antibiotic use...so they continue working for those who need them.

@Misty9 isn't 15 months the standard age for MMR? It is in our borough.

Between 12 and 13 months here I think, with second dose at 3ish?