The Wild and Free Family: Forging Your Own Path to a Life Full of Wonder, Adventure, and Connection

by Ainsley Arment

Overview

"Ainsley Arment has emerged as one of the most prominent voices in [this] grass-roots community." — New York Times

As parents, we dream of creating a magical childhood for our kids, yet it can be so easy to slip into autopilot. Ainsley Arment—a mother of five, founder of the thriving community Wild + Free, and bestselling author—is no stranger to the barrage of decisions, opportunities, and daily tasks that each day brings. But what Ainsley has discovered is that the magic of life isn’t found in the hustle and bustle of constant activity but in the intentional ordinary decisions of our days. And when we assume that a family has to look or act a certain way, we miss the opportunity to build a meaningful and fulfilling life together. 

Drawn from her family's stories and those shared by the Wild + Free community, The Wild + Free Family explores how to create a family culture that breaks the mold by seeking to connect with our children, unleash their gifts, pursue a shared vision together, and redeem generational brokenness, among so much more. Inside these pages are Ainsley’s words of encouragement, honesty, and wisdom, guiding all parents to create a home where families can forge their own path to love stronger, live more fully, and grow closer to each other. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062998231
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/30/2022
Series:	Wild and Free Series
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	388,328
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Ainsley Arment is the founder and leader of Wild + Free and co-host of the weekly Wild + Free Podcast. As she leads this movement of raising her kids and homeschooling in a new way, she thinks deeply about making the most out of life and ensuring that her children have a fertile seedbed for their own uniqueness and creativity. She and her husband Ben are raising their five kids, Wyatt, Dylan, Cody, Annie, and Millie, in Virginia Beach.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Your Family was Made for More 1

1 To Create a Family Culture 11

2 To Preserve Childhood 23

3 To Connect with Your Kids 33

4 To Understand Your children 56

5 To Create a Safe Haven 69

6 To Redeem What's Been Broken 83

7 To Chase Wonder 99

8 To Adventure Together 111

9 To Unleash their Gifts 127

10 To Unlock their Potential 142

11 To Pursue a Vision 159

12 To Become together 170

13 To Not Grow Weary 182

14 To Set them Free 197

Afterword 211

Acknowledgments 215

Notes 219

About Wild + Free 227

Editorial Reviews

07/04/2022

Parents can “live a more meaningful, adventurous life” with their families, l, advises Arment (The Call of the Wild and Free), creator of an online homeschool community, in this gentle look at “carving your own wild path in the midst of modern culture.” Twelve years ago, Arment, her husband, and their two kids left their life in the Atlanta suburbs serving a “company’s purpose, society’s purpose, the school system’s purpose” and moved to Virginia Beach, where they began their homeschool community. Insisting that parents get to choose whether their kids grow up stressed or peaceful, Arment covers such topics as misbehavior (suggesting a three-step process of “calming... connecting... and communicating with” kids), creating a family culture (laying out “your values and vision”), embracing adventure as a classroom (getting outdoors), and how to “not grow weary” as a parent (accepting help during difficult times is a good idea). While readers in search of statistics and case studies won’t find them here, Arment nonetheless offers a wealth of personal anecdotes and feel-good wisdom—understanding kids, she writes, “is realizing, as they grow, that they don’t merely change but become more themselves.” For parents looking to “cast aside convention,” this is just right. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Insisting that parents get to choose whether their kids grow up stressed or peaceful, Arment covers such topics as creating a family culture, embracing adventure as a classroom, and how to “not grow weary” as a parent. A wealth of personal anecdotes and feel-good wisdom… this is just right." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher