Actor Alicia Silverstone, the star of the classic '90s film Clueless, has frequently spoken about her hands-on parenting style and close bond with her son Bear.
A bond so close, in fact, she still sleeps with Bear who is 11-years-old.
In an interview with podcaster Ellen Fisher, Silverstone said she is simply "following nature" by continuing to co-sleep with her son, comparing the practice with what wild animals do.
Her comments raised quite a few eyebrows.
\u201cAlicia Silverstone Reveals She Still Sleeps with 11-Year-Old Son Bear: I'm 'Following Nature' https://t.co/vdbclcNJbU\u201d— People (@People) 1658350828
Of her unconventional parenting choice, Silverstone told Fisher:
"Bear and I still sleep together. And I’ll be in trouble for saying that, but I don’t really care.”
"[I'm just] following nature..."
"If you were in any kind of wild setting where there are animals ... if you put your baby over there, your baby is going to get eaten. It's not ideal for the baby to be over there."
The difference of course is Alicia Silverstone and her son Bear are not animals being stalked by predators all night.
Co-sleeping is an increasingly common practice among parents today. Most pediatricians say it's fine so long as it doesn't begin until after the first year, to prevent suffocation, and its not disrupting sleep for the child.
But speaking to Insider, pediatrician Dr. Rebecca Fisk said co-sleeping should stop at pre-pubescence—a process that often begins as early as age 9 for some boys.
Talk about first-world problems.
While many might look down their noses at Silverstone's choice, the fact remains the choice is not there for much of the world where entire families or clans share single dwellings. The fact Silverstone went to wildlife for an example of lifelong co-sleeping demonstrates how unaware the first world is of Indigenous cultures and customs.
On social media, some people were on board with the practice and felt it was totally natural.
\u201c@MikeSington Kids will move out of their parents' beds when they are ready to do so. That was certainly the case with our boys. I don't recall the exact ages when they stopped coming into our bed, but an 11 yr old sleeping with parents is not unusual.\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1658400665
\u201c@MikeSington There's alot of dysfunctional people walking around society right now and likely most didn't do this so maybe a little more love from parents might be the answer.\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1658400665
\u201c@TMZ @TooFab Omg, really??? I'm 39 and when I moved back in with my mom because I was divorcing, I crawled into my mom's bed several times just because I needed my mother. Sometimes you just need your mom's snuggling, loving arms, there is nothing weird about it\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1658355602
But most were used to the luxuries of homes with multiple rooms and sleeping options as "normal" instead of "privileged."
\u201c@MikeSington That may be taking the whole "co-sleeping" thing a bit too far. I hope Bear's cool with it as well. It seems unusual for 11 y/o to consistently sleep w/ a parent, but \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2640\ufe0f?\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1658400665
\u201c@MikeSington How will he learn to be independent? She\u2019s not helping him.\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1658400665
\u201c@enews\u201d— E! News (@E! News) 1658422634
\u201c@MikeSington Where in nature do animals sleep with their tweenage offspring?\n\nMost of the animal kingdom kicks their kids out as soon as they can feed themselves.\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1658400665
\u201c@MikeSington Nothing like having her bear cub relentlessly teased at school. For this, the world did not need to know info. At what point does nature have Mama bear keep quiet.\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1658400665
\u201c@TMZ @TooFab Nah that\u2019s just weird\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1658355602
Silverstone is somewhat notorious for her unconventional parenting techniques.
In 2012 she went viral after posting a YouTube video in which she demonstrated how she chews her son's food for him, feeding Bear like a bird so to speak. Her son was 11-months-old at the time.
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