I’ve been toying with the idea of a skeptical parenting blog for a while now.  I tend to associate with a crunchy crowd, and I see a lot of woo being flung around as a result.  It can be really frustrating to feel like the only rational person in a conversation!

Today I just couldn’t help engaging someone on Facebook, and the conversation was so emblematic of discussions with woo-believers that I was inspired to finally start writing about this kind of thing.

Here’s an outline of the arguments presented by the believer, to support her belief in Reiki:

• Chemo fails 97% of the time.  Touch therapy is safer than that radiation!
• Scientific studies can’t assess Reiki because it uses energy that can’t be measured.
• Look, this scientific study shows that it works!
• There’s a conspiracy to keep positive studies from being published.
• It works for me and my clients.
• How can you say you know about it when you haven’t personally experienced it and I have?
• “Its [sic] all perspective. This idea that someone is right and someone else isn’t is the elite’s way of dividing and conquering us.”
• I came to this belief through rational, evidentiary means, but you won’t be swayed by them because you’re too narrow-minded.
• (After I asked to see this evidence, promising to be open-minded) OK, go read this 500 page book, and review all the citations in it.  The author is David Wilcock.
• (After being asked to just provide the 3 most convincing citations) I’m not going to search through a 500 page book just to find the one citation involving Reiki!  (But she expects me to.)
• Not accepting my personal anecdotal experience as convincing evidence is hurtful, you skeptical meanies!

Now in this case, there were two other skeptics in the discussion, so at least I didn’t have that sinking feeling that the whole world is crazy and I’m alone.  But I was truly gobsmacked at how blind this woman was to the flaws in her reasoning.  If I ever lack for something to write about, I can just go through that list of arguments and pick each one apart, for a pretty comprehensive overview of woo-rationalization!

So anyway, my motivation for finally blogging about this stuff is to express my frustration, to offer arguments against particular pseudoscientific  practices, and to give a picture of what it’s like to be a skeptic and a parent, trying to raise skeptical children.  I’ll surely also talk about more general parenting topics from a skeptical angle, and just brag about my kids and share their more overwhelmingly adorable moments.