6 things I learned raising my babies in the jungle

The jungle is raw and unmerciful, just like parenting. When I became pregnant with my first child, my husband and I were in the trenches of developing a new business that just so happened to be in the jungles of Panama. At that point in our lives, sticking it out seemed to make the most sense. So, there I found myself, raising my baby in the jungle.

While my friends back home where busy scheduling play dates and ‘mommy and me’ groups, I was trying to figure out the best way adapt to this new way of living. Although parenting is tough no matter where you are, I looked to the jungle to teach me a thing or two.

Here is what I learned.

Trust your

instincts

When you live with nature, you learn the subtle cues. We all have this ability, but it’s

something we have to tune into. It’s similar to when you smell the rain before it falls

or when animals sense an earthquake before it happens.

I didn’t have much access to the internet at the time so I had to learn to listen to the

subtle cues of my body. I, like billions of women before me, was experiencing on of the most natural processes of life. That gave me strength to trust my intuition. When I needed to move, I moved. When I needed to rest, I did. When I my body needed an entire block of cheddar cheese, I obeyed. My body provided all the information I needed to safely grow my baby. Trust becomes one of the first

instincts of a parent/child bond.

Often we forget that we have this intuition and really too heavily on other peoples

ideals and rules. In the beginning I worried about doing it “right” but eventually

came to an understanding that what works for one, may not work for another.

Establish Roots

Babies are similar to plants in the way they need to be cared and nurtured in order

to grow. Just as a plants needs food and water, children need to be nurtured in mind,

body and spirit to establish their roots.

My husband and I didn’t get married until our first son was 10months old. We both firmly believed that we needed to create our roots first in order to give our children the best possible environment to grow. Together, we developed a plan. We discussed parenting styles, discipline tactics, overall vision of what we hoped to achieve as a family. This way, when we are in the thick of stress and chaos, we have a place to come back to. It reminds us of who we are and what we stand for as a family.

Adapt and Overcome

I’ll admit it, all three of our babies weren’t exactly planned. In fact, there was SO

MUCH about the development of our family that was unplanned. The day my first

son was born, we forgot to bring a receiving blanket to the clinic so my husband had

to take the shirt off his back to wrap our newborn child in.

So much of parenting is about adapting and overcoming to the ever-changing

process of raising small humans. There are no guarantees in life, so the more you are

willing to release control over a situation, the more room there is for a more natural

process to occur. I find it helpful to ask myself, will I remember this a year from now?

If the answer is no, then I try not to stress too much about it.

Give Them Space to Grow

Our general rule is ‘try it for yourself before you ask for help’. I believe it creates a sense of empowerment that will carry them throughout their lives. Equally, I don’t feel the need to pressure my kids to do something equal to their peers. Each child

develops at a different pace. Honestly, one of my favorite parts of parenting is sitting back and watching my child achieve a goal on their own.

If I had allowed myself, I would have gone crazy with fear for all the potential “what if’s” while raising my babies in the jungle.

The reality of our situation was that we lived over an hour from a hospital, but just as I trusted my body during pregnancy, I developed a trust for each child. My kids all developed at different stages so I had to create a safe environment for each of them to develop at their own pace. The more I trusted in their abilities, the more freedom they got. Now that they are older, this rule still applies.

Use Your Resources

My kids grew up playing with rocks and sticks. They could entertain themselves for hours creating all sorts of scenarios with what little they had around them. Instead of having toys that told them how to play, they used their imagination. To this day, my boys will still pick up a stick and sword fight.

I too had to use my imagination when it came to using my resources. One of the most inconvenient things about living in the jungle was that I was responsible for our trash. There is an entire market geared towards all the convenient, disposable items for our babies. I learned to be thoughtful of the items I used because I couldn’t put them in a trash bag and have them magically disappear. Certainly there were key items that proved to be helpful, but overall I learned babies really do not need all the things we think they need.

Convenience certainly comes at a price.

Connect to Nature

To calm my fussy kids, I took them outside or put them in water. It worked every,

single time. I believe whole-heartedly that children are happier and healthier when

they can connect with nature. Even if it’s as simple as going out at night time,

looking up at the moon and giving thanks for another day. One of the most

important lessons I want to teach my children is that nature provides us with

everything we need, so it is our duty to do what we can to protect our Earth.

My children are older now and life is a little more convenient these days, but I still

believe the jungle taught me the most valuable lessons and I can apply anywhere I

go.

Alli Banks and her family are currently building a hotel and retreat center in Panama, set to open summer of 2016. You can also find Alli teaching Yoga or writing blogs when she’s not raising small humans. For more information about writing,

retreats, yoga or Panama contact her at 3islasretreats@gmail.com. You can also follow her fun adventures @3islas on Instagram or Alli Banks on Facebook.