Attachment parenting is totally within the range of upper-middle-class suburban parenting styles I'm seen from my friends, and unschooling is a bit further out there, but I've met several people who do it.

Well, I was going with the example you cited, of not just attachment parenting, but attachment parenting with extended breastfeeding.

Also, I too know people who took/take the attachment parenting route, but just because you or I know people who do it doesn't make it the norm.

Again, I think "radical" might not be the right word for how I would classify unschooling and attachment parenting w/extended breastfeeding -- "radical" makes me think of the Symbionese Liberation Army or something. I'll just stick with saying that those 2 methods of parenting are definitely outside the norm.

Yeah, unschooling and extended breastfeeding are outside the norm, but I would think that something would have to be much further outside than that to be called radical.

I guess they aren't using it like the TMNT

Yeah, they're not radical. "Unconventional" in more industrialized countries is pretty much it.

ETD: Edward Said taught me that "Western" is not an apt description unless I'm talking about John Ford movies.

Unconventional! That's a better word for what I mean.

I will say, extended breastfeeding is the norm in AP communities. Sometimes, I feel like a weird person for parent-led weaning at 3 years, 11 months rather than letting her self-wean. It doesn't honestly feel that unconventional, but there are a lot of APers in my neck of the woods.

Stephanie, IIRC, did EC with Ellie in PR.

Stats I found suggest about 6% of women are breastfeeding at all at age 2. I would say among the mainstream well-educated, upper middle class, crunchy but not too crunchy population (i.e. shops at Whole Foods but not at the food co-op), the standard is to reach 1 year and then wean.

EC is way too trendy to be called "radical."

And as for whether or not it works, the evidence is pretty scanty. For some kids, it gets them potty-trained earlier. In most cases, it's the stay-at-home parent who's being trained, not the kid.

I'm very surprised to hear that breastfeeding past 2 years is considered outside the norm - I don't know any SAHMs in my local circle who had weaned by then. (Dylan self-weaned early because I was back at work full time and couldn't pump enough to keep my supply up.)

i.e. shops at Whole Foods but not at the food co-op

Heh. (And also Oh, That Explains It. Most of my immediate social circle is still boycotting WF over the CEO's healthcare hissy fit, and our food coop has its own Wikipedia page.)

Heh. Most of my circle boycotted Whole Foods for a week or two after that healthcare thing, but then it got to be too much of a pain, except for the people who live right near an independent health food store or coop.