FREEPORT — Kim John Payne will give a public talk titled “Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids” at 7 p.m. today at Merriconeag Waldorf School on Desert Road.

The talk will be based on Payne’s book by the same title. In his book, Payne asserts that many of today’s child behavior problems come from TMS — “Too Much Stuff.”

“All children are quirky, that’s what makes them lovable, who they are,” Payne said in a release about Tuesday’s talk. “But these cumulative stresses slide those quirks along the behavior spectrum into disorders. Simplicity Parenting is a way to slide the child back down the spectrum. They go from having a label back to being lovable and quirky.”

“Payne will help parents at the talk create their own simplicity menu for their family, breaking it down into five layers: simplify the environment (books, toys, etc.), meal times and food, schedules and information,” the release states. “ He asks that parents see childhood as an unfolding experience, not an enrichment opportunity.”

“You choose whatever fits naturally in your family life,” Payne said in the release. “When a family simplifies, the kids love it. It’s not a battle. It’s about warmth and connecting. In simplifying parenting we get closer to our children — they no longer have to fight for our attention. Everything becomes easier and it is actually achieved by doing less.”

Admission costs $10.

news@timesrecord.com