This post was written for inclusion in the carnival hosted by The Artful Mama and Natural Parents Network. During this carnival our participants have focused on the many different forms and shapes Natural Parenting can take in our community.
***
I'm a natural parent. At least, that's what I call myself and that's what I write about. I even write for this spiffy cool web site call "The Natural Parents Network." It's about (get this!) natural parenting. It's pretty obvious that all the volunteers are pretty crunchy and talk about things like breastfeeding, granola, composting, and cloth diapering. But none of us are the perfect natural parent.
I know, I know. GASP! SHOCK! HORROR!
We all have our un-crunchy side, our "big, bad conventional" way of doing things that may shock you. Sit down, get your smelling salts and get ready for a confessional.
Forgive me, natural parent community, for I have some un-crunchy things that I do:
1. I use tampons. Yes, that's right, bleached, flush -able tampons. I use a bajillion cloth products around the house but I haven't given up my tampons. I like the idea of a diva or a keeper but I just can't bring myself to spend 30 dollars on something I might not like. I mean, what do you do with it if it doesn't work for you? "Yes, I used it once but I would like to return it since it doesn't work"? It's not like it's a shirt or something they could resell.
2. I refuse to use a reusable toilet bowl wand OR stick my hand, with a rag attached, into the potty to clean it. I deal with enough sh!t that I would rather use my Clorox wands and put that nasty thing right into the trash. Forgive me, environment, but please remember the years of cloth diapering.
3. Not all of our food is organic. Not even close. AND we like McDonald's. Not as much as Chik-Fil-A but I do like their iced tea and french fries....
4. The little boys are in disposables at night and PuddinPie is in them all the time. If I weren't so cheap, I think we would be done with cloth by now because I am tired of washing diapers. I like cloth and I normally don't mind it, but after nearly eight years, I am feeling done! (Don't worry, my guilty conscience won't let me give up even our 1/4 of the time cloth diapering.)
 |
| and sometimes they have candy for breakfast! |
6. I have my children in the hospital. Yes, they were all natural, drug free births but they were still in the hospital. I even stay the whole time for a mini vacation with my baby. And, no, I have never eaten, dyhdrated or made a smoothie out of my placenta. I firmly believe in the benefits of it and I do believe it can help off-set PPD... but my husband would faint and then divorce me if I even brought it up!
7. We vaccinate. My children are on a delayed and selective schedule for religious and health reasons (one child has had vaccine reactions) but if it weren't for those reasons, we would probably do everything on the traditional schedule because, well, we would.
8. I used formula with my third child when he weaned because I was pregnant. I even needed to use the evil Nestle brand because it was the only kind he could tolerate. My fourth child got formula as a newborn and I really believed it saved his life.
9. I have a temper. Granted, I am so much better than I used to be and people can even describe me as mild mannered sometimes but, yeah, I've been known to yell. Hey, I only do it when provoked AND I'm working on it!
10. My kids watch TV and like characters. We have Cars, princesses, cars, more cars, trains with faces and more trains...oh, and American Girl dolls! floating around this house... and I don't mind one whit!
 |
| there is nothing organic about this food. |
(The yelling thing though? Yeah, I'm working on that!)
***
***
***
This carnival was created by The Artful Mama and Natural Parents Network. We recognize that "natural parenting" means different things to different families, and we are dedicated to providing a safe place for all families, regardless of where they are in their parenting journeys.Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
- My kid is a technophile — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction hasn't turned in her natural parenting card yet, even though her son prefers electronic toys
- I'm a Natural Parent, but...I use medicine! — Adrienne at Mommying My Way admits that while she hesitates to do so, sometimes she does give her son some medicine when his symptoms get really bad.
- I'm Only Half Planning a Natural Birth — Shannon at The Artful Mama discloses how she is planning her semi-natural hospital birth and still dares to call herself a Natural Parent.
- Why we aren't rear facing — Shannon at Pineapples & Artichokes talks about her decision to turn her one-year-old daughter's carseat around, and how the argument always given for extended rear facing makes her feel.
- Musings of an Almost Crunchy Momma — Valerie at Momma in Progress re-examines her list of natural parenting litmus tests.
- Natural Parenting Does Not Equal Perfect Parenting — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama admits to several not-so-natural parenting and lifestyle practices.
- 10 Reasons to Revoke My Natural Parent Card — Laura at WaldenMommy: Life Behind the Red Front Door discusses why some of her less-than-crunchy practices are better for her family.
- I'm a Natural Parent - BUT... MacNCheese is Awesome. — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy reveals her penchant for some far from healthy eating, cheap food recipes.
- Crunchy on the Inside — Wolfmother at Fabulous Mama Chronicles muses about how the stereotype of a natural parent does not do justice to the very dynamic group that this parenting philosophy attracts.
- My Reality — Megan from The Other Baby Book confesses a few things about her parenting.
- I'm Crunchy But... — Christy at Mommy Outnumbered shares confessions on all of her "non" crunchy ways.
- I'm A Natural Parent, But...it took me awhile — It took Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling awhile before fully understanding and appreciating Natural Parenting.
- I Am Not a Perfect Natural Parent — Momma Jorje shares her dirty little secrets as a mostly natural parent.
- Crunchy, But Not Crunchier Than Thou — Instead of comparing yourself to others, Dionna at Code Name: Mama encourages you to give yourself permission to be as crunchy as you can for right now.
- I’m a natural parent but…I love bedtimes — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle would never let her children cry-it-out, but she has a selection of other methods to encourage early bedtimes.
- I'm a Natural Parent - BUT... — Lani at Boobie Time Blog believes that following the principles of Natural Parenting doesn't mean you fit a stereotypical mold of societal view.
- Confessions of a Low Supply Mom — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children confesses her insecurities about being a low supply mom.
- I'm a natural parent, but. . . — Not eating her placenta is just one of the ways Ashley at Mama Raw falls short at being a natural parent.
- I'm a Natural Parent But...I have a Few Confessions — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment strives to be a Natural Mama, but wait, she has a few confessions!
- I'm a Natural Parent BUT — Carrie at LoveNotesMama confesses her gratitude for disposable diapers.
- Intestinal Dissection — Melissa from White Noise talks about how imperfection can be beautiful when it is buffered with love.
- How much sugar is too much? — Tat at Mum in Search shares how her no-sugar policy evolved into a balancing act, with the balance point not where she'd like to see it.
- I'm a Natural Parent, but. . . — Amyables at Toddler In Tow talks about three of her parenting habits that are not super "natural."
- Minus Ten Crunchy Points — Joella at Fine and Fair discusses how some of her parenting choices seen as "too crunchy" by those she knows in real life could get her kicked out of the crunchy mom clubs online.
- The Natural Parent "Model" — Kym at Our Crazy Corner of the World talks about her love for not-so-natural cosmetics and beauty products.
- Nice to meet you. — Eileen at Love & Greens talks about how being a natural mama means something different to her every day.
- I’m a natural parent…BUT… — Ashley at Daisy Pedals touches on several natural parenting topics; from cloth diapers to cleaning with natural cleaners.
- I'm a natural parent, but you'd be surprised — Lauren at Hobo Mama confesses to liking diet soda and TV and having lost all her reusable shopping bags.
- I’m a Natural Parent, but…. I don’t shop local — Luschka at Diary of a First Child confesses one of her greatest 'natural' failures - she doesn't shop local and support her community, despite wishing she could.
- Who You Callin' Natural? (a Carnival of Natural Parenting Contribution) — A bit of premise exposition, some tongue-in-cheek filler, and a photographic list of all the ways Embrita Blogging cheats at being natural.
- Dirty Secrets of a Green & Natural Mama (and Why I'm Not Afraid to Share Them!) — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares her definition of what it means to be a perfect mama as well as a few of her dirty little secrets.
- Green Mommy Guilt — Jen at Jen and Joey Green talks about how being a perfect Green Mom is overrated.
- Life Coping Devices — Amy at Anktangle discusses two ("non-AP") coping strategies her family has used for getting through difficult times with her son: the pacifier and the stroller.
- We use disposable diapers. There. I said it. — The mama at Our Muddy Boots shares a bed, nurses her 4 year old, is vegetarian, and is committed to homeschooling; but Pampers adorn her child's bottom. Ugh!
- Committed to Cloth, but... — Sheila at A Living Family affirms her love of cloth diapering, despite the draw of disposables.
- Natural Parenting as a Doorway to Deep Truths — Amy from Peace for Parents guest posts at Natural Parents Network and shares how for her "natural parenting" is much less about a definition and much more an avenue to explore truths of life.
- Chicken No-nos — Jessica at Pace Family Place strives to live naturally but feeds her oldest son some not-so natural things
"Or a mom who buys the laundry soap on-line instead of making it so she can watch Cars2 (again) with them and eating popcorn." Amen, sister!! I did a lot more awesome crunchy stuff before Kieran was mobile, because, well, he didn't object. He just rode around on my back admiring how crunchy I was. And then I had to spend more time *parenting* than doing random crunchy things. And I don't feel too bad about it ;)
ReplyDeleteThere are definatly some non-crunchy things I do that I don't feel bad about! I figure even watching Cars2 (again!) and eating McDonald's fries with the kids IS crunchy/attachment-y because we are making loving memories! Awe! :)
DeleteI do so many of the things on your list too. Eating the placenta really tripped me up. I understand the benefits, and what it does, and I was a prime candidate for it being helpful, but I couldn't even consider it. *shudder*
ReplyDeleteI too am the perfect canidate for eating it... but I couldn't. I didn't want to jump through all the hoops in the hospital. I was much more interested in donating the cord blood but, alas, I could pay to bank it but not DONATE it. That kinda annoyed me!
DeleteI think we all have our "list" of things that make us un-crunchy! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think if everyone did everything perectly crunchy we'd go insane! Or maybe just me. :)
DeleteI really enjoyed cloth diapering my son when he was little, but now that he is a toddler, with his MASSIVE poos, I much prefer just throwing them out in disposables. He also likes to slip them on himself and has shown interest in the potty. We are now that much more un-crunchy for putting those cloth nappies away and purchases the plastic but it works for us, so what can I say?
ReplyDeleteI hate the toddler poos. I keep forgetting to put the liners in, although it makes it easier to clean the poo off the diaper and easier to wash. But, yeah. Give methe breastmilk or formula poo anyday!
DeleteAwesome post! I always hated tampons and was grossed out by the diva-cup so I ordered a 'free sample' of the "instead soft-cup". They work a bit differently and aren't as re-usable but it was great for a trial run of reusable menstrual products. I'm about to have my first kid and hate the idea of having to order yet another diva-cup but, I LOVE how much money I save by not using tampons anymore.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip! I'll look for the free sample!
DeleteThis is what I did too!! I use a diva cup now but tested the whole cup idea with insteads. =) Free sample is a great tip!! Diva cup is more comfortable for me. Insteads were great but I could feel it.
DeleteThis list makes we want to do a list of ten too - I think the confessional approach could really free us all up! With you on the temper and likewise working on it...please pass on any tips or techniques that work for you!
ReplyDeleteLove this, and I'm so glad to have found your blog through this carnival. Ah, #10 . . . the characters. We are awash in characters! Mickey, Dora, princesses, oh my! They LOVE them. We have not one, but TWO Disney vacations planned in 2012. My son has an Ariel toothbrush. (Hey, he has two sisters and those things come in multipacks.)
ReplyDeleteI am jelous of the Disney vacation! I want to go SO BAD and my husband is twitching at the thought of going. My extended fam is planning a vacation but it keeps getting pushed back.
DeleteI bribed my daughter with Disney princess sheets if she would sleep in her own bed. I always figure if characters get your kid potty trained/learned or sleeping in their own bed... rock on. Hey, maybe that's confession number 11? :)
The way you presented your confessions had me peeing from laughter! Soul sucking public school! Hee hee! I'm with you on toilets too. And I have used tampons before. Oh dear...aren't we the uncrunchy ones! :) Thanks for the honesty. Glad we are all such honest sort crunchy natural parents. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI did a whole post about Evil Soul Sucking Public Schools... it's all tounge in cheek. I don't think public schools are evil OR soul sucking but I had alot of people tell me that if I sent them there, they would all be anti religious goth heretics. Heh.
DeleteI love that we are all uncrunchy in some ways AND honest!
Great post! We all have our crunch and our non crunchy bits. And I think we are ALL working on the yelling! Parenting is HARD!
ReplyDeleteAlso: I'm an avid breastfeeding advocate and I TOTALLY agree that formula saves lives. Absolutely, and that is what it exists for. That, and when pregnancy dries up your milk!! Thanks for posting, this carnival was so reassuring.
Fabulous post. There were things on your list that I didn't even KNOW were un-crunchy. Damn!
ReplyDeleteHilarious. I enjoyed the read. :)
Actually, The Keeper has a 3-month money-back guarantee! Although they can't resell it, they are so confident you'll like it that they are willing to lose money on the few women who don't. The Diva used to have a guarantee, too, but I couldn't find any info about it on their site now.... I have tried and liked both, and you can read lots of details about menstrual cups on my site if you like.
ReplyDeleteMy kid attends a soul-sucking public school and likes it, too. :-) I'm going to look for your post on the subject!
Oh, thanks for the link! I may have to get one for my next cycle!
Delete