Anyone else called a Hippie!?!?!?

[Karennnnn]

I'm getting so tired of this!
Everyone freaking calls me a hippie.
As soon as they hear that I'd like to try a home birth or I want to nurse my kid until he weans himself; any of that, this is what I'm called.
I thought it was following your gut instinct, and if that's what a hippie is, so be it
I was even called a flower child by my former boss 5 years ago and told I was born in the wrong era. I have no idea why she thought this; this was way before I had kids.
The only hippie like thing about me is that I have long hair.
Hmph.
I guess I do a lot of the ap thing, but you're more than likely going to see my kid eating oodles of noodles rather than tofu (although I'd love it if he did).
But I suppose that's also a stereotype...
I just wish that people could have that "Aha!" kind of reaction rather than "she's a hippie" and not THINK about some of the things I do and WHY.
So anyhow, that's just a vent.
Karen

[rad]

Yup, I've gotten use to it. I think my favorite of all times was when I was called a "hippie, new age freak". Whatever. Some others were "flower child", "weird" and plain old "hippie". That's fine, it guess if it makes them feel better I can deal with it. I know that I'm doing what's best for me and my family by homebirthing, cloth diapering, Bfing till my babies are done with it and co-sleeping (not to mention other "weird" thing I do). So my conscience is clear. I really don't consider myself a hippie or even that crunchy, we just do things in a way that works for us. It's a bonus that it's healthy and environmentally friendly.

Sorry you've got to deal with it. It would be wonderful if more people would just be accepting of ideals that were different then theirs. I've honestly just gotten to the point where I either ignore those comments or embrace them.

[Patchfire]

I get that all the time. But, I embrace it. I have always said that I was born too late, lol!

Seriously, I don't think people mean anything bad by it... but then I've probably always taken a bit too much pride at being outside the mainstream. :LOL

(Oh, and I personally hate tofu, and dd is allergic to soy, so it's definitely not that... )

[mimim]

I've been called a hippie since I was 12 years old. I certainly don't take it as an insult.

It did annoy me when a friend of mine said, "OK, Gwyneth Paltrow" when I told her I wanted to have a home waterbirth. She didn't even have one and I wanted to do this since way before she made the idea seem trendy!

[mamaduck]

I was so sad when my neighbors took down their big trees. I called my SIL on the verge of crying. She laughed, told me it didn't matter, and called me a hippie freak!

[pixiemama]

Nope, never been called one, but I have a friend who gets it all the time. So what if you are a hippie? Who cares?! Some people should just get a life.

[JennInSeattle]

I've never been called one either, people realize I do a few things different (cloth diapering for example) but apparently I still look a bit too modern to don that name! :LOL I don't think it's so bad but that's looking at it from this side!

My mother does refer to me as crunchy (a term she picked up from me) and says whenever Nathan wears tie dye he looks like he belongs with Greatful Dead parents!

[Karennnnn]

I think what bothers me about the comment is that no one wants to explore the WHY's, ya know!? It's almost like they think I'm just following a trend or a movement and not doing it because it's what we feel is right for our family. It sucks not to be taken seriously.
Of course if being a hippie means being kind in general to my kids then I also embrace it. I just don't think that those who say it have the same interpretation as I do.
I am truly grateful though (pardon the pun lol!!!!) that I have discovered what I have and did it on my own. If I had been born in the 60's I sort of doubt I would have been the way that I am now. I think part of this is instinct, the other part research on the net.
There's nothing like having your child right next to you sleeping, knowing he's o.k. and feeling his warm toes on your leg. I can't imagine having him in another room. I'd probably race in there every morning to make sure he was still alive. I even feel very creeped out if he's sleeping upstairs and I'm DOWNstairs doing something.
That was off on a tangent though, sorry
Glad I'm not alone!
Karen

[Attila the Honey]

Originally Posted by Karennnnn

There's nothing like having your child right next to you sleeping, knowing he's o.k. and feeling his warm toes on your leg.

Last night my 8.5mo dd slept hugging my arm with her face mashed up against it. Despite the fact that it made me a little creaky to have to sleep in that position for a long time, I felt sorry for the mamas that didn't get to experience co-sleeping.

Anyhow, genuine tofu eatin' hippie here. and proud of it!

But I know what you mean, sometimes it's said in a way to minimize what you are about. When my sil calls me a 'hippie' I know the subtext is: "Why bother listening to your explanations? You and I are so different, what you do will never work for us." It ticks me off too.

[rad]

But I know what you mean, sometimes it's said in a way to minimize what you are about. When my sil calls me a 'hippie' I know the subtext is: "Why bother listening to your explanations? You and I are so different, what you do will never work for us." It ticks me off too.

This is so true. That is the problem I have when people say it. Some people say it as a joke and I don't care too much. Other say it like this. Just because I do things "weird" in their eyes I'm not even worth listening to. DH has several people he works with that treat him like this. I know it really hurts his feelings.

[3 little birds]

My brother calls me a crazy hippie (in a joking manner). The last time he said it was when he found out we don't eat dairy (we're vegan). The same day his wife (who is expecting their first child) told my dh that she would never "endanger mine or my child's life by having a homebirth". I had just had a HBAC waterbirth. She also said that the pain of labor is all in your head. My sister told her "no, it's in your body". :

So, I just consider the source and I don't take it as an insult.

It does bother me though that NOONE ever asks WHY we had a homebirth, especially after a supposedly "easier" c/section. They just assume that I do it to keep up with some "crunchy" persona. Sometimes it makes me want to scream.

[AmyB]

Originally Posted by Karennnnn

I was even called a flower child by my former boss 5 years ago and told I was born in the wrong era.

I'm a lot less irritated by being called a hippie than I am by sanctamonious "been-there-done-that" baby boomers who joined the hippie scene back then because it was "cool" but have now faded back into the mainstream.

In my opinion, our own era is in serious need of a movement away from consumerism and back towards particapatory democracy. We need the spirit of the civil rights activists and the vietnam war protestors, not the drop-out tune-out drugged-out hippie stereotype.

So if you are being mistaken for a hippie because of your social justice values, good for you.

--AmyB