Gentle Christian Mothers
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Gentle Christian Mothers is an online community for Christian mothers who practice attachment parenting as popularized by Dr. William Sears. In 2006 Gentle Christian Mothers, or GCM, had hundreds of female members from around the world, mostly mothers but including some grandmothers and those who style themselves as "moms-to-be." Salon.com has called it a "support community for mothers" [1].
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[edit] Early history
Gentle Christian Mothers began as a webring owned by Jeri Carr. Websites owned by Christian mothers who advocated attachment parenting were welcomed to join. After Yahoo!'s purchase of WebRing.com in 1999, Mrs. Carr declined to continue the Gentle Christian Mothers webring. Shortly thereafter, she formed a message board at ezboard. The new message board focused on the same principles as the defunct webring. [2] In mid-1999, Mrs. Carr invited former members of the webring to join the message board. At its inception, Gentle Christian Mothers hosted only a few dozen users.
[edit] Gentle Christian Mothers Description and History
Christian mothers who practice attachment parenting often have to gather information and support from secular sources. Gentle Christian Mothers presents a [[Christian[[ faith-based approach to attachment parenting and positive parenting. Shortly after its launch, Mrs. Carr introduced a forum to support mothers in the application of Grace-Based Discipline, so named by Crystal Lutton and Joanne Davidson. This forum has become both popular and controversial, as it advocates positive discipline (per Jane Nelsen) and logical consequences while discouraging corporal punishment for children. This paradigm shift away from more traditional Christian thought about the "rod" verses in the Bible attracts as many users as it has repelled, and has led to some heated debate among the message board members. Gentle Christian Mother's official stance is anti-corporal punishment.
As GCM users are diversified and the message board's forums reflect that. Topics including (but not limited to) vegetarianism, veganism, homeschooling, unschooling, marriage, the parenting programs advocated by Growing Families International, cooking, entertainment, and different ages & stages of childhood are found at GCM.
A print newsletter, Gentle Mothering, is available to members who have paid dues; however, online membership is without charge.
[edit] Gentle Christian Mothers today
At present, Gentle Christian Mothers hosts hundreds of diverse users from around the globe. Its print newsletter is published quarterly, and its website contains articles written by members, testimonials from members, and membership information, as well as the message board.
