How Crunchy Are You? The first time I heard the phrase “crunchy parenting” I’ll admit I had to google it. (It’s a good thing I read a lot of blogs. How else would I keep up with all the current buzz words?) In a basic sense the term crunchy is interchangeable with alternative. But as more and more parents move away from mainstream ideas, and as more alternative ideas become widely accepted – things aren’t clear cut as they once were!Here are some popular alternative ideas embraced by parents who consider themselves crunchy: • Attachment parenting • Co sleeping • Organic foods • Cloth nappies • Eliminating or reducing commercialism • Favouring natural materials over plastic • Eco-conscious • Self sufficient • Unscheduling • Homeschooling / unschooling / alternative education When I first became a parent I was so un-crunchy I was practically creamy. I liked the idea of cloth nappies, but thanks to a rocky start and reflux the cloth squares spent all their time over my shoulder! Attachment parenting ideals never sat comfortably with me (as they did for some of my friends). And although I have always loved the great outdoors I’ve never considered myself an earth mama. Over the course of the last four years though I have to admit that I have changed a little, and settled into a comfortable middle ground somewhere between crunchy and creamy! Ok, so I still use disposable nappies, let my kids watch tv, and even put the washing in the dryer when I’ve been too busy to get it out onto the line. On the other hand, even my own (crunchy) mother has commented on the number of alternative ideas I have adopted into my parenting choices. For example, I really dislike plastic toys, and rarely ever buy them. Most of the dearly loved toys in our home are made of wood and stored in baskets. My kids play in the backyard all the time, but their playthings are generally sand, sticks, rocks, leaves, bark and macadamia nuts. Instead of a trampoline we have a dry creekbed, and even their cubby houses are naturally occurring. I can’t say we have huge kitchen garden, but the kids do have their own little patch where they grow basil, parsley, cherry tomatoes, capsicum and strawberries. Despite my training in mainstream education, I find myself gravitating to some of the alternative and progressive educational philosophies as well. I’m enjoying reading more about them, and am surprised at how often my natural style as a parent and teacher aligns. Oh, and did I mention my aversion to commercially branded items? I think I can safely say this creamy mum has some crunchy tendencies! That’s the wonderful thing about parenting. You don’t have to fit any one label. You can be as mainstream or as alternative as you like, and there’s plenty of middle ground. I always tell my kids that different mums make different choices. And the truth is that we all make the choices we think are best for our kids. So, I’m interested in the choices you have been making. I’d love to know... how crunchy are you? ___________________________________ Catherine Oehlman is a SAHM currently being raised by a terrific toddler and a curious crawler. Her background in primary education, love of the mothering journey and compulsion for writing collide on her SquiggleMum blog. Cath encourages other parents from all walks of life to maximise the time they spend with their children.
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Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Our kids love gardening with their dad and growing some of our food and playing outdoors is their favourite activity. We used a combination of cloth and disposable nappies and we're exploring different educational methods for them both.
We didn't adopt co-sleeping though, and there is the odd trip to McDonald's so we can't say we avoiding commercialism altogether, even though we instinctively know simple is best for most things with children.
Joh
Friday, 25 June 2010
I use cloth nappies and I love them. I urge everyone to use them, because once you start, you'll be hooked! The packs on www.real-nappies.com.au are a good place to start and not too scary.
I'm not composting yet, but working on getting a worm farm