A mother who espouses an off-grid parenting approach in raising her kids has explained why she will never use sunscreen on her children despite the skyrocketing temperature and intense heat this summer.
Adele Allen and her husband, Matt Allen, who run The Unconventional Parent channel on YouTube, are on the same page about their parenting methods. They recently shared a video about shunning sunscreen use with Adele explaining how she's ensuring her kids are protected from the sun's harmful rays.
The mother said that many people believe the "myth" that the sun causes cancer, but Adele believes that the sun is there to give life and not kill the living. She further said that cancer comes from sunscreen products full of carcinogens, so she never applies this to herself, her husband, and her children. Instead, she uses natural products like actual aloe vera or coconut oil.
A Gradual Sun Exposure
Matt also explained that he and Adele are teaching their kids "gradual sun exposure." The approach helps them develop natural protection against the sun's harmful rays because gradual sun exposure is like going to the gym, where one trains to build stamina.
"The more you go out, the more you adapt," Matt explained, with Adele adding that they are out in the sun all the time, including in the winter, to boost their natural protection.
As a young kid, Matt said that he used to be slathered with the thick and white stuff for sun protection, but as a parent, he came across research suggesting not to wear sunscreen. He tried this while working on a cruise ship and ensured he didn't stay out too long in the sun or wear a top when he felt his skin "cooking."
The off-grid parents also do not believe in wearing sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun. Adele said sunglasses were originally not intended for general use but for pilots who fly in unnatural altitudes. Matt noted that sunglasses might actually disrupt vital natural vitamins from reaching the pineal gland, or this pea-shaped gland inside the brain that regulates the hormones and other functions of the body.
But dermatologist Dr. Fred Weksberg told Yahoo! Life that there is no scientific evidence against the damaging and carcinogenic side effects of sunscreen, but he acknowledged that some people might develop an allergy to it. The expert also said that governments usually pull off the product if they are proven to have harmful ingredients.
Embracing the Off-Grid Lifestyle
It's not the first time Adele and Matt have opened up about their unconventional methods and beliefs about parenting. Apart from their YouTube channel, the couple has been on television to discuss why they are anti-vaccine or anti-medicine or why they don't subscribe to traditional schooling for their kids.
In fact, Adele was breastfeeding her children until they were five years old. The mom also waited for her children's umbilical cord to naturally fall off upon their birth, according to Daily Mirror. So for the first week of their children's lives, they were literally attached to their mom because Adele didn't want to cut their umbilical cords.
Adele's skepticism about the conventional lifestyle started in her early 20s when she tried to find natural ways to lose weight. She met Matt, a yoga teacher, who was also tracking an alternative and sustainable lifestyle. The parents had already embraced the non-traditional lifestyle years before they had kids.
The parents admitted that they get a lot of comments and even criticisms about their off-grid parenting methods on the internet, and some have concerns about their children's health. In the end, however, they believe that their approach works for their family and three kids.
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