I am a little bit of a crunchy mama. I consider myself more of a “trail mix” because I’m a little bit granola, kinda nutty and still pretty sweet (LOL). We try to avoid a lot of sugar and processed foods in our house; we use Burt’s bees baby wash (because it is 98% natural and smells DELICIOUS); I make my own laundry detergent, I breastfeed, baby wear (pic below of my dyed Galaxy grey ergo), make baby food and am starting to use cloth diapers.
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ERGObaby Original Baby Carrier “Galaxy Grey” dyed purple with Dylon fabric dye.
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I was homeschooled as a child and spent half my childhood on the mission field overseas. I was teased a lot for being “sheltered” or “socially handicapped” or for not getting a “real education”. I feel like I had a very unique childhood! Was your science class ever held in the virgin rain forest of South America? Mine was! I was very well socialized and grew up with very good manners. I am close with my family and truly appreciate my parents for the unique and awesome upbringing I had. They raised me to respect others and, above all, to love God. I pray I can do the same with my children!
Clearly, I have always been different from most of my peers, but I’ve also been a little bit of the “black sheep” of my family. I’ve always been more of a hippie and my family has always just laughed and said I was born in the wrong decade… I’m a ’60s flower child born in the mid-’80s (minus the drugs).
Sometimes I catch flack from those close to me for being a “hippie”. People close to me make comments about not letting my 2 year old have lots of sweets. I don’t want her eating chocolate after 4 or 5 in the evening because I don’t like jacking my child up on sugar before dinner or bedtime because it makes it harder to get her to eat her dinner or go to bed. I got teased for not letting her have peanuts before she turned 2 (per her doctor’s instructions). People would tell me I was being too cautious and tease me. Truth is, she is MY child and I want her to stay healthy and not develop an allergy because she was introduced too soon. Maybe I am cautious, but I would rather be too safe than not safe enough when it comes to my children.
I was judged openly by some folks in my life for nursing my oldest for almost 15 months. I got comments about needing to wean her even before her first birthday. I have never judged anyone for using formula. I don’t care, why should you? You aren’t the one with a baby attached, why should it matter?
I’ve heard that nursing moms should just stay home, that offends me quite a bit. I don’t usually just “whip it out” in front of God and everybody, but I don’t hide out either. I usually cover up out of respect for those around me, but in all honesty, nobody respects my feelings and some people say some pretty hurtful things. What makes it worse is that most comments come from people I am close to and love dearly. What gives somebody the right to tell me to keep my nursing baby at home or to nurse in my hot car or to wean when they think it’s the right time?
I am not a mom that thinks breastfeeding is the same as bottle feeding, it isn’t. On the flip side, I’ve heard people compare nursing in public to going to the bathroom or committing sex acts in public and that doesn’t jive well with me. It is more than just feeding my baby, it’s creating a bond with her and nurturing our relationship. It is a beautiful thing and I am so thankful I can do it successfully! I wish it was more openly accepted in our culture (like it is where I grew up), but for most people it’s still taboo. We seem to be so overly politically correct and try not to hurt the fragile feelings of the masses, but what about my feelings? We accept celebrate immodest dress, foul language & over the top PDA. We watch TV shows and movies where the main characters sleep around and cheat on spouses and we call it “normal”. Heck, Victoria's Secret isn't a very big secret, they flaunt near nudity all over the mall, internet and TV. I don’t know how many beach and pool photos I’ve already seen all over my facebook news feed this season of girls in string bikinis, but nursing a child (even covered up) is “gross” or “attention seeking”. I nurse my baby for food and for comfort if she is hurt or upset. Would you rather me let her cry and disrupt your meal or nurse her so you can enjoy it in peace?
As I said, I’m starting cloth diapers. I washed them SEVERAL times this weekend to get them ready for use and so far I like them. I’m not asking sitters to use them and probably won’t use them when we go to church on Sundays. Some of the people I’ve told have turned their noses up and said, “I don’t want poop and pee in my washer” and I just have laugh because if you have kids I can’t imagine you NOT having poop or pee in your washer from time to time. You rinse the poo out before you throw it in the washer anyway.
Does using cloth diapers make me a better mom than those that don’t? Uh, no! Does it add a little more work on laundry days? Yes. My husband and I have been debt free (except for our mortgage) for about a year and a half and I am always looking for ways to save us a few bucks because I only work part time and we want to STAY debt free. One of the main selling points for me was when somebody told me that babies sleep better and longer in cloth diapers. I’m sure going to give it a try!
All that being said, we almost always have Oreos or Nutella in our house; we watch PBS most of the morning while we play; we stop for happy hour at Sonic sometimes. I don’t deprive my children of fun and tasty treats (we baked chocolate chip cookies on Friday), but I do limit the junk my 2 year old eats (baby is still just nursing). I want my girls to have healthy eating habits. I want them to enjoy delicious treats in moderation and not as an everyday snack. Biggest shocker from this granola mom: I had both my girls in the local women’s hospital and had an epidural BOTH TIMES! I’m not the picture of a “granola” mom, but I’m me
My question is, do people think about my feelings when they question my parenting choices? You can disagree with my choices but if it isn’t endangering my child why say something? Some people say, “You’re being different to attract attention, you want the comments and stares” which is far from the truth. My husband and I make decisions for our family based on what we feel is best for us. We don’t make decisions to make others feel uncomfortable. I don’t set out each day thinking, “How can I make someone uncomfortable today? Hmmm maybe I’ll put a cloth diaper on my baby and strap her in the ergo for a walk in the park.” If I am making a decision that could harm one of my children PLEASE speak up, but if you just don’t agree with a decision that doesn’t harm them or affect you please keep that to yourself. Chances are I don’t agree with every decision you’ve made, but I keep that to myself. I’m not trying to “convert” you to my way of thinking, just asking you to respect it. What is the point of cutting each other down? Live and let live.
