We a delighted to introduce a new snazzy segment from the infamous Lize – enjoy!

Daisy & Zelda

Why have I only now come across the term “crunchy” or “crunchy parenting” when referring to folks who choose a (for lack of a better term) “natural parenting” style?

Image c/- totalchunk.com

I found ‘Just West of Crunchy’ through Mama Eve’s FB page…. mmm ok I guess I just gave it away… I’m a bit of a crunchy myself it seems, although (since this is my first post) I must set the record straight:

I do not like to define my parenting style as X, Y or Z. And I do not like to interfere with yours. I like to read EVERYTHING and take what I like/need/approve of… Not judging is this great new thing I’ve discovered, especially since becoming a new mum. I don’t like to close myself off, relax into a philosophy and slip into a comfortable state of knowing that I’m right and you’re probably wrong, if you don’t belong to my chosen named parenting path. Respect is the name of the game.

hmmm crunchy (image c/-fiddlersgreenfarm.com)

So back to “crunchy”. What does it mean? Since there isn’t a wiki entry for it yet, I thought I could take a crack at explaining it from the quick research I managed. “Crunchy” like “granola” refers to a person practicing a healthy, natural style of living like recycling and eating organic foods, maybe even growing their own tomatoes… so you don’t have to have children to be crunchy. Families that are crunchy (not even sure i’m using the term correctly here! “that are”?) tend to do the “natural parenting” STUFF like use cloth nappies, make their own baby food, practice Attachment Parenting, wear their babies etc. Hence “crunchy parenting”.

So there you go. Crunchy. And the real reason I wanted to know what it means – cause I thought this really funny!

Sh*t Crunchy Mamas Say

(Cause sometimes you have to laugh at yourself a bit!)

- Lize