Welcome to the second edition of the "I'm a Natural Parent - BUT..." Carnival This post was written for inclusion in the carnival hosted by The Artful Mama and our feminist {play}school. During this carnival our participants have focused on how mainstream society has affected their natural parenting and how they have come to peace with this.
I am thrilled to host an anonymous guest post for this carnival, telling it like it is! Enjoy! Read through and please scroll to the bottom for other great {and inspiring} mamas, who know it's all about balance and keeping it real.
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We are a natural, peaceful, all-together crunchy family. We thrive on a diet of organic, minimally-processed and grass-fed real food. We homeschool our preschooler, spend lots of time in nature, and cloth diaper exclusively. We exist happily somewhere far outside the mainstream.
That is, 345 days out of the year. About 4 times per year, my family’s business hosts large conventions at an area hotel. These last from a Friday through the following Tuesday, and during that time all bets are off! My two-and-a-half year old daughter hangs out in the hotel room with a wonderful sitter and her three year old son. They watch cartoons, play iPhone games and stay up way past bedtime. With all the stress of disrupted routines, pretty much anything that will keep them happy and not in immediate danger, is fair game.
Remember when I mentioned we cloth diaper exclusively? Yep, that applies to convention weekends too. A trademark of these weekends is the horrifying diapers that result from junk food. I’m surprised they’ve never evacuated the building. There is just something about French fries in particular, more than pizza or ice cream or bacon, that produces the kind of diaper horror scene that calls for hazmat suits and an industrial air purifier. For the record, it doesn’t bother the toddler. In fact, she finds it hilarious. Kids and poop I guess!
How can we improve this? I’m not really sure. This last workshop weekend, we brought lots of food. Fruits, veggies, peanut butter, etc. for healthy snacks. Ultimately, the kids still want a warm, freshly cooked meal. Also breakfast and dinner doesn't cost us anything, and we have to watch our pennies carefully when the weekend already has a big price tag.
Overall, I’m okay with it. We can be the queen, king and princess of crunchy 95% of the year. The little one can have a weekend-long taste of mainstream culture and have a blast with her best friend. In the end, it's all about balance.
~ Anonymous
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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:
- I'm a Natural Parent- BUT... - Carrie at Frugal Foodie Mama says "We breastfeed. We co-sleep. We babywear. But we do not cloth diaper. This post is about my reasons why I haven't, and why I would still like to try it."
- Am I Really a Natural Parent? - Valerie at Momma in Progress confesses maybe she's a bit more mainstream than she thought.
- I'm a Crunchy Mama, BUT... - Shannon at GrowingSlower has learned that her food doesn't grow on grocery store shelves, but she still has a long way to go.
- I'm a Natural Parent, but...my kid loves a screen - Lyndsay owns her son's love for television programming, ipad and apps.
- Ashamed to Breastfeed - Kym at Our Crazy Corner of the World talks about how she was ashamed and intimidated to breastfeed in public.
- When they gotta go... - Jorje of Momma Jorje shares her EC weakness...
- Love For the Mainstream - Amy W. explains how letting a mainstream family into her life increased her self-awareness, and helps her to maintain balance while advocating for natural parenting.
- Weaning My Nursling - Alisha at Cinnamon&Sassafras reflects on her decision to wean her son, rather than waiting for him to decide.
- I'm a Natural Parent But...My Toddler is a Junk Food Junkie - Chanisa at City Girl Slash Hippie Mom talks about how she's trying to get her two year old to have healthier eating habits
- I'm a Natural Parent - But...I'm Socially Awkward - Shannon of The Artful Mama talks about the difficulties she experiences maintaining her conviction when she experiences social resistance.
- Holding onto connection when traveling - Lauren at Hobo Mama wants to respect her children rather than demand obedience … but it's so hard around family.
- What would the neighbours think?! - Teresa at This Savvy Mama talks about the pressures of balancing life skills with the realities of having two young children.
- French Fries and Diaper Blowouts - Arpita hosts a guest post detailing how, just every once in a while, the chaos of running a business can hamper even the most regimented natural parenting plans, and the sometimes messy (and stinky!) consequences!
- Confessions of a mostly natural parent - Jessica of Crunchy Chewy Mama feels good about many of the choices she makes but there are things she wants her kids to do, practice, and believes that she is not modeling for them.
