Alicia Silverstone’s Unique Parenting Methods Have Got Everyone Talking

Back in the ‘90s, actress Alicia Silverstone rose to fame when she played Cher Horowitz in the teen movie Clueless. While she’s still acting and overall present in Hollywood, Alicia’s parenting is what’s getting her attention these days. 46-year-old Alicia is the mother to 11-year-old Bear Blu Jarecki, whose childhood has been anything but conventional.

While Bear’s mother is a household name, his musician father Christopher Jarecki is far less known. Christopher and Alicia met outside a movie theater and dated for eight years before getting married. The couple welcomed Bear into the world in 2011 and, despite their marital issues, have both remained active parents in Bear’s life. Sadly, Alicia and Christopher got divorced in 2018, after 20 years together. The exes have joint custody of Bear and are determined to co-parent peacefully.

In 2012, Alicia’s parenting came under fire when she uploaded a video onto her website, The Kind Life, of herself feeding a then-10-month-old Bear. In the video, Alicia fed Bear pre-chewed food from her own mouth. The move was controversial, to say the least, and the public started to question all of Alicia’s parenting methods. The actress doesn’t see anything wrong with it, though, as she’s said, "This has been going on for thousands of years — still going on all over the place — and it's natural."

Alicia’s parenting style is often called attachment parenting, and it’s one of the many known techniques for raising children. Attachment parenting focuses on the bond between a parent and child, both emotionally and physically. For example — baby wearing, bed sharing, and the belief that crying is a form of communication rather than a tantrum or manipulation. Attachment parenting is based on the belief that a parent’s bond with their child will shape all of the child’s future relationships. Alicia, though, describes her parenting style differently…

Alicia describes herself as a “natural” mom. "I just do what's natural. I’m a loving mama. I believe in love, I believe in nature and our society is scared of nature and scared of love." When asked about her closeness to Bear, Alicia pointed out that’s how parenting is done in 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. So, it's not ideal for the baby to be over there."