S/O: Were YOU raised "crunchy"?

[ErinYay]

Just another fun thread- were you raised in a crunchy way? How has it impacted your parenting choices now?

My mom was pretty AP/NFL when I was young (things changed a rather lot once there were 4 of us, 1 with special needs, and my dad wasn't particularly on board with all the "hippie-dippie" stuff.) I'm 30, so it's pretty cool that she was as into the whole shebang at the time as she was.

*I was FF due to a bad early latch, horrible advice from the nurse who didn't tell Mom to take the nipple shields off until I was 2 months old and I tore her to shreds when they were removed, but the other 4 kids were breastfed for at least 18 months- she pumped exclusively for a year with my late sister, and nursed my brother, the youngest of us, til he was over 2.

*I got only my baby vacs, and after a bad reaction to the pertussis vac, none of us were vaccinated until we were in school.

*Mom babywore.

*I went to Montessori from 2.5 yrs to 7, then went right into public school. My younger sister went from 2-6, and the other two were fully public schooled. Mom also got some homeschooling stuff and did supplementary HS on weekends and summers, or whenever I was bored.

*We never had soda, candy, or junk food in the house, and McDonald's was a rare treat until I was 8-9.

*No TV other than 1 Sesame Street OR 1 Mr Rogers *and* 1 Mr Dress-Up. We didn't have Nickelodeon until I was 12 or so. (We might have had it, but we weren't allowed to watch it!)

*Gentle discipline when I was young. I was spanked maybe a half-a-dozen times, but mostly Mom used GD.

*Most of all? My mom subscribed to Mothering! My dad used to call it That Magazine With All Those Placenta Recipes.

I love that my mom was AP/NFL-ish, as I don't have the most important woman in my life telling me I'm ruining her granddaughter at every turn! I have nothing but sympathy for those who don't have that kind of support for their choices! My dad's a lot more mainstream, and needled us a lot about vaccinations and homeschooling, and is thrilled to death V is sleeping in her crib now, but he's still quite supportive (and has come around on both our delayed/selective vac'ing AND homeschooling!)

[Mrs.Music]

My mom was a teenage mom in a time where breastfeeding advice wasn't exactly easy to get, so I was formula fed after a few days of attempting to breastfeed. My mom was a good mom, and she mostly stayed at home with me... But I ate ramen, drank soda, watched tv, played nintendo, attended public school and got spanked when I was naughty. I guess the crunchiest thing about our household was the big garden in the back.

[~PurityLake~]

My mom had a thing against soda, so I couldn't select the last one, and our poverty pretty much dictated our 'diet', so I voted the next one up from the bottom.

My mom was not AP, or GD, thinks homeschooling is silly, and didn't cosleep. She believed in CIO and 'not letting the kid win' in power struggles. Authoritarian all the way with her. My dad was pretty uninvolved in our daily care/raising other than the periodic look of shame or tsk tsk aimed at us about something he deemed inappropriate.

The only reason I didn't vote the bottom one was the wording.

She did breastfeed us all for about the first 6 months, it varied per child, so I feel I have to give her credit for that, but it's got to be the only thing about how she raised us that I would call crunchy.

[Tumble Bumbles]

Not quite pepsi in the bottle from birth, but close

Mom thought bf'ing was 'gross' and formula-fed from birth
vaxxed on schedule
spanked and shamed, bed without dinner etc
Rice cereal in bottle from about 2 months
CIO
Planned C-section -- but then I don't blame her for that, back then if you had one c-section you had to have another (her c-section with my sis was an emergency)

So yeah. I believe there's a reason for everything and I know my mom loves me, at the time she just did what almost all her peers and contemporaries were doing...of course I've made vastly different choices. Some were met with confusion and opposition from her but I have a very strong will and now my mom is one of my biggest parenting supporters.

[Golden]

My name is Golden, but I definitely wasn't raised crunchy.

[mommariffic]

Def not!

Mom tried breastfeeding for myself, and brother but ended up formula feeding
Def didn't bed share
Watched television
Moderate junk food [but not too much]


On the other hand she was a great SAHM who engaged us with crafts/read us books and cooked us really lovely things. Our television and junk food were limited, and although she spanked us a few times I really don't even remember and discipline wise growing up what I do remember was "normal" for the times.

[fairejour]

How did you know what I was going to name my next baby?!?!?

So, my didn't breastfeed any of her kids because it would "ruin her boobs". We slept in cribs, vaxed, regular school, etc. We ate JUNK. Seriously, I bet we actually had soda in our bottles because I am DARN sure I have seen relatives do it. But when I was 5, my mom committed to non-violent parenting...but, it was because the domestic violence shelter we were in required it. Previous to that moment, it never crossed her mind to not spank! (Oh, but she did smoke weed in front of us, so does that count?)

But, in my mom's defense, that childhood was HEAD AND SHOULDERS better than hers!!!!!!!!!!!

[CatsCradle]

I have read both threads with interest, but didn't vote here because I'm still on the fence about the definition of crunchy. Some things that are defined here at MDC as crunchy were just common sense things back in the day. My mom breastfed and cloth diapered, but that had more to do with economics and practicalities than whether or not it was a specific parenting style. She and my grandmothers made things from scratch, but that was no big deal, a lot of people did. We didn't have much junk food, but my dad was a dentist and that was more related to what he perceived as good dental health than anything. We also had limited television, but again, it was not based on a studies or scientific data, my parents just wanted us to be busy. I see GD and stuff like homeschooling as specific to parenting choices. I have many super crunchy friends who are child-free and definitely outshine me in the crunchy department.

That being said, my parents would freak if anyone referred to them as environmentalists, but yet their frugality makes them the best environmentalists by default. I can't imagine them out waving placards at a rally, but their mantra has always been simplicity, whether intended or not.

I think all these things are elements of what is defined here as crunchiness, but I tend to think that crunchiness is a state of mind or philosophy rather than a checklist, much like I perceive AP. I think I'm on the crunch-o-meter simply because I inherited a lot of my parents' frugality practices and personal responsibility hang-ups.

[PreggieUBA2C]

Originally Posted by fairejour

How did you know what I was going to name my next baby?!?!?

So, my didn't breastfeed any of her kids because it would "ruin her boobs". We slept in cribs, vaxed, regular school, etc. We ate JUNK. Seriously, I bet we actually had soda in our bottles because I am DARN sure I have seen relatives do it. But when I was 5, my mom committed to non-violent parenting...but, it was because the domestic violence shelter we were in required it. Previous to that moment, it never crossed her mind to not spank! (Oh, but she did smoke weed in front of us, so does that count?)

But, in my mom's defense, that childhood was HEAD AND SHOULDERS better than hers!!!!!!!!!!!

Are we siblings?

My mum did breastfeed me for four months and my brother for two, but then decided to stop and feed us formula and jar food! Until we were over a year old!!! My dad said he was totally astonished when he saw a 7 month old chomping down on a chicken leg. That's the discussion that led to me being informed that I drank formula and ate jar food from four months until "sometime after a year old." I'm glad they eventually decided to feed me...

And as for "crunchy", the homegrown was certainly that after some quick dehydration in a cool oven. I don't think that counts.

[Petie1104]

my brother got spanked on his way home from the hospital. No joke, mom was changing his daiper, he started pooping while she was doing it so she spanked him, and then told us that story regularly. I got slapped whenever I threw a tantrum. I drank my first soda before a year old, though didn't start drinking it regularly until I was about 9. We did have a garden but that was it. My parent's weren't mainstream since they didn't spend money on cable, buy a microwave until the 90's, or get us video games. But we had burger king regularly. Don't get me wrong, my mom is a wonderful woman, I just wouldn't want her to raise my kids her way. The fact is she is very open to ideas, and since we don't spank, she supports us. Since our kids aren't allowed soda, she doesn't give them soda when they are with her. She lived with us for 2 years caring for the kids and never once questioned our parenting and obeyed all of our rules. It is good that her biggest rule is that you never undermine a parent. She didn't argue with dad's rules and he didn't argue with hers. That was her most important rule to live by. So, I have to say, I love her to death. But she is about as far from "crunchy" as you can get. Oh forgot to mention, I was formula fed from 2 weeks on and started on cereal at 1 month.

[e_roehm23]

"Somewhat. It didn't have a name back then. But yeah, I guess"

Parents are very much into simple living, rather. No dishwasher, wood burning heat ( Dad cuts & splits the wood, but only from previously fallen trees) no ac, only 2 local t.v. stations and if you wanted anything different you'd better be prepared to climb the antena tower and rotate it by shear force,haha, organic gardeners, part time co-sleepers, no internet until 16 years old, rotary dial phone still hangs on the wall, basically off the grid...not really, but the neighbors thought an old hermit lived at our house, 66 acres of woods on dead end road with large creek for swimming, washing the car, etc Mom rarely seasoned our food, no soda or chips, no fast food, mom cloth diapered, and breast fed for at least the 1st year. Mostly wooden toys, or simple, battery free toys. No shower, only bath tub, with babies washed in the kitchen sink, etc, etc.

Now, Mom and Dad spend their days filling up a mud puddle in the driveway so to keep the tad poles alive in their "pond". Also, they have a "pet" ground hog living under the wood shed named "buddy". Along with other random critters, the occasional mouse or fruit flies, line dried bath towels, were not a huge deal. It's all part of country living, or crunchy living, if that's your fancy

[shnitzel]

My mother is kind of and my father is definitely not. My mum had a c-section but she did research on natural childbirth and was definitely interested in at least trying for one. She waivers in buying/eating healthy food and lately buys a lot of prepared foods but makes sure to eat a lot of fruit and veg. She bought organic baby food and wouldn't allow my little brother to eat sugar but now that he is six he eats as much junk food (the brightly dyed kind) and soda as he likes. She buys nitrate free hot dogs. She used to believe TV was completely evil but now does use it and allow my brother to watch although we weren't allowed to watch at all as kids. She dumpster dives but is very wasteful with energy (mostly because of my dad, you know energy is seriously being wasted when you need to sleep with a sweatshirt & comforter in the middle of the summer).
She strongly believes in medicine and vaccines but does sometimes doubt and question.
My mother looks and talks like a hippy.
She worked really hard to breastfeed but did supplement with formula a bit.
They co-slept up until recently and oddly enough everyone on my dad's side of the family co-sleeps. My aunt has 11 children and slept with all of them! She also breastfed all of them and at least one of them past the age of 2. Another aunt who is a doctor was so excited when she found out I was still breastfeeding my baby past a year.
My mother GD's but my father uses intimidation and my mother supports that b/c it controls my brother but she would never hit him or let him be hit by anyone.

My in laws are completely mainstream but mil completely supports me.
For some odd reason the one thing that worried both my mum and mil was that DD never had baby food and was barely eating solids until 10 months.

[Buzzer Beater]

My mom was def not crunchy- not only did she put bourbon in my brother's bottle to get him to sleep, she thinks I should do it too...

[2xy]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Music

My mom was a teenage mom in a time where breastfeeding advice wasn't exactly easy to get, so I was formula fed after a few days of attempting to breastfeed. My mom was a good mom, and she mostly stayed at home with me... But I ate ramen, drank soda, watched tv, played nintendo, attended public school and got spanked when I was naughty. I guess the crunchiest thing about our household was the big garden in the back.

This is my story almost exactly, except my mom did breastfeed for about three months. I was in cloth diapers because...erhm...it was almost 40 years ago.

My mom was eccentric in her own way, though not really crunchy. She made me take vitamins and drink celery juice for my asthma, but she and my dad also smoked like chimneys. She insists that my breathing problems were from lack of vitamins, never mind the cigarette smoke and crappy nutrition. We ate a lot of fast food, pizza, and the only vegetables I remember having (besides an occasional salad) were peas and corn (and corn is hardly a vegetable). Yet she would make a special trip to the health food store to grind her own peanut butter.

[Marissamom]

I consider my family growing up more mainstream, with some crunchy tendencies.
I was APed (natural birth, half of us were homebirthed, exclusive breastfeeding until solids, child-led weaning, cosleeping, baby wearing), we unschooled, our family recycled and had a garden for quite a while, but that was about the extent of our crunchiness growing up.
When I became a mom (really from the time I was a little kid) I knew I wanted to AP. I wanted to cosleep, breastfeed (exclusive and extended), babywear. I wanted to have a natural birth, and I also hope to homeschool/unschool. as DD has gotten a little older I have added a little more crunchiness, I took the leap into CD, and while researching that came across MDC... I hadn't given family cloth or mama cloth any thought before that, or making my own laundry detergent. and I'm sure I'm just going to get crunchier as I go. especially because DF was raised really crunchy.

[Mrs.Music]

Originally Posted by fairejour

How did you know what I was going to name my next baby?!?!?

Originally Posted by 2xy

This is my story almost exactly, except my mom did breastfeed for about three months. I was in cloth diapers because...erhm...it was almost 40 years ago.

My mom was eccentric in her own way, though not really crunchy. She made me take vitamins and drink celery juice for my asthma, but she and my dad also smoked like chimneys. She insists that my breathing problems were from lack of vitamins, never mind the cigarette smoke and crappy nutrition. We ate a lot of fast food, pizza, and the only vegetables I remember having (besides an occasional salad) were peas and corn (and corn is hardly a vegetable). Yet she would make a special trip to the health food store to grind her own peanut butter.

Eh, they totally didn't realize that second hand smoking was harmful then. It seems like common sense now.

[marinak1977]

Pretty crunchy. My mom followed her instincts so she coslept, breastfed on demand, and did delayed vax. We also didn't have junk food, and were raised with respect for all things living. We did a lot of canning and growing vegetables, but it was in the Soviet Union and everyone did that. My mom WOH and didn't babywear, but my grandma stayed home with us so we didn't have to go into the horrible soviet kindergarden.
My parents also did GD to the best of their ability. They certainly didn't use physical punishment

[major_mama11]

Somewhat...

My mom was waaay into natural childbirth (to the point where I think her head will explode if I decide to get an epidural with hypothetical next baby). She worked in the hospital where I was born, and insisted on rooming in and nursing in the delivery room, even though it wasn't common practice back then. She did kind of quietly freak out about my having my 2 kids at a birth center rather than hospital, though.

She breastfed my sister for 6 mos and me for 13 mos.

We were public schooled, but she seriously considered homeschooling us, which is handy as she is very supportive of our decision to hs.

She babywore.

Very anti-sugar when I was little, although she doesn't enjoy cooking and so eventually she gave in and allowed a lot of processed foods.

TV was very limited when I was little- Wild America, Sesame Street, and Mr Rogers was ALL. (Except the rare days when mom was at work, then it was TV all day long...)

No spanking after we were toddlers. I only remember being spanked once. My dad was spanking my sis one day and saying, "This will teach you not to hit!" and had sort of a light bulb moment. No more spanking after that.

Mom and dad have always lived well below their means- thrift stores and beater cars frugal- and are pretty much debt free now, in their mid-50s. They now have a little camper and travel every chance they get!

My mom and I don't agree on everything, but I am so thankful that we agree on most parenting issues, as she is my main babysitter!

[baglady]

"The veal that you would eat tonight is already dead, so what difference does it make" -my mom

Does that answer your question?

[2xy]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Music

Eh, they totally didn't realize that second hand smoking was harmful then. It seems like common sense now.

The Surgeon General released its first public report on the dangers of second hand smoke in 1972. My dad taught life science, earth science, and physical science in the public schools....his major was biology, and he read tons of periodicals on health and science in general. They knew; the addiction is just more powerful than knowledge.