Lauren Wayne (aka Lightnin' Lauren O'Wayne), writer and natural parent. Riding the rails with my husband, Crackerdog Sam, and my two hobo boys: Mikko Lint Picker and Alrik Irontrousers the Land Pirate. Trying every day to parent intentionally and with grace.

As a writer, parenting has changed me profoundly and has given me a new perspective and a new passion to write about the type of parenting I find compelling and inspiring — and aspire to myself: parenting that is attachment-centered, respectful and responsive.

I approach parenting from a natural perspective, beginning with conception and birth and extending through breastfeeding, babywearing, colseeping, cloth diapering and EC, baby-led solids, gentle discipline, unschooling, thoughtful food choices, natural health, and green living. I am ever moving to be more environmentally conscious and crunchy, but I don't bother with judging other people for where they fall on the yuppie-to-hippie spectrum since I am still very much in process myself and approach any lifestyle choices with a healthy dose of skepticism and pragmatism along with continual reexamining.

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The hobo family

This is the form my inspiration takes:


Mikko (pronounced MEE-ko). He was born in June 2007, and my blog was born a few months later. Mikko is currently an unschooled young lad and astonishingly enjoyable. He talks constantly. He has a big heart. He is firmly his own person. He teaches me more every day of what it means to be spontaneous, attached, and freaking hilarious.

Mikko weighed 11 pounds, 13 ounces, when he was born — a natural birth after a hospital transfer from our planned home birth. We were all surprised at how big he was, and I was so proud I was able to deliver him naturally as I'd planned — not because birth is a contest, but just because it was such a rush. I can't even describe the euphoria I felt after I saw my baby and knew what my body had been able to do.


So we had to do it again! Alrik (ALL-rick) was born in May 2011 at a planned home water birth — but an unplanned unassisted one!

Alrik is sweet and talkative and fiercely proud of his independence. He wants to try everything — by himself!


Sam said not to put a picture of him up here, but I can't resist, since he's so cute. We were college sweethearts who met on the school newspaper and married in June 1998. I know that was a long time ago, but I was a teenage bride.

(Not really.)

Sam and I run a family business, selling DVDs online and writing. We enjoy the freedom working from home gives us to be together as a family, even though it creates some logistical challenges, in terms of keeping two children from trying to "help" whoever's trying to work. Someday they'll be useful labor, right?

Why be a hobo parent?

There is so much freedom to be had when you shake off society's expectations and embrace the hobo-parenting lifestyle. I like to think my hobo-tude represents movement, confidence, a shifting of priorities, and a love of nature and the open road.

Hobo parenting is listening to your intuition and the wisdom of people before you. It's trying to do well and live intentionally but allowing for plenty of grace and learning. Hobo parenting isn't perfect, but it's real. And it can be really beautiful.

Plus? Hobo's a funny word. That might or might not be the main reason I chose it.

Feel free to jump on this boxcar with me!

Join the hobo movement

I'd love to have you connect as a reader, subscriber, and commenter. You can get updates from Hobo Mama by subscribing to my blog and my newsletter. You can sample my favorite and most popular posts here.

I bring you reviews and giveaways of natural parenting products at Hobo Mama Reviews, including an ongoing natural parenting giveaway linky.

I co-founded the esteemed Natural Parents Network with Dionna of Code Name: Mama, and we co-host the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting, so check that out as either a reader or a participant if you're interested in similar topics and in connecting to other like-minded parents.

I also co-host a weekly Sunday Surf where bloggers share their favorite links of the week and a weekly linkup for Wordless Wednesday. Enjoy visiting for those fun events, and share your own links and photos!

You can read my journey as a writer of novels, blogs, and poetry at LaurenWayne.com, and you can check out my published book of parenting poetry, Poetry of a Hobo Mama: The First Three Years.

If you're interested in advertising, please check out my advertising page with the option of sponsorship across a range of fabulous natural parenting sites!


You can chat with me on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ profile, Google+ page, and Pinterest. You can email me at mail {at} HoboMama.com or use my contact form.

I love to make myself available, even though I am absolutely terrible at returning emails, phone calls, comments, and direct messages. But don't let that stop you. I read and appreciate them all.

I'll open up the floor. Anything you want to know? Leave a comment or sent me an email, and it's possible I'll eventually respond!

About Hobo Mama

HoboMama.com was founded in 2007 and is a popular natural parenting blog. Hobo Mama is consistently in the top Family Blogs on Technorati and has a Google Page Rank of 4, drawing in tens of thousands of visitors each month. Learn more about Hobo Mama's reach on my advertising page.

Along the tracks: Guest posts

• "A call to persist in babywearing" at Eco Baby Steps
• "The magic of wool: Benefits for cloth diapering" at Knickernappies blog
• "Making nursing in public comfortable for you" at NursingFreedom.org
• "Ten things to do during bad weather" at Catapult Magazine
• "The Joys of Breastfeeding a Toddler #11" at Code Name: Mama
• "Prevent child drowning: It's not like you see in the movies" at BlogHer
• "Unschooling is How Adults Naturally Learn" at The Mahogany Way
• "Answering Objections to Nursing in Public" at NursingFreedom.org
• "Parenting While Owning a Home Business" at Natural Parents Network
• "We're all mom enough" at BlogHer
• "A Recommendation for the Humble Condom" at Diary of a First Child
• "Holding My Child's Hand" at SortaCrunchy (poem)
• "Starting Seedlings on the Cheap" at Anktangle
• "The Loud Silence of Disbelief" at Catapult Magazine
• "Making the Switch to Reusable Menstrual Products" at Natural Parents Network
• "Think Ahead to the Baby" at Up, Down & Natural
• "Extra Wool Supplies for Cloth Diapering" at That Mama Gretchen
• "Miscarriage Poetry" at A Little Bit of All of It
• "On Choosing a Natural Miscarriage" at A Little Bit of All of It
• "Unschooling Preschool" at Natural Parents Network
• "Astronaut" (poem) at TouchstoneZ
• "Babywearing in Hot Weather" at Natural Parents Network
• "Interview with Lauren Wayne - Hobo Mama" about working from home and natural parenting at tooMODmama
• "Preparing an Older Sibling for a New Birth" at PhD in Parenting

The feed below will autoupdate with the most recent guest post articles:


If you're interested in guest posting on Hobo Mama, contact me.

Awards & associations with like-minded hobos

Family blog