What Does it Mean to be Crunchy?
If you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you’ve probably already heard the word thrown around a bit. But what does it actually mean?
More and more women are finding themselves fitting into this category without even knowing it. I was one of them. Are you? Keep reading to find out.
The Crunchy Mom isn’t a trend that just popped up one day. It has always been. It is the original way of the Mother before modernized living arrived with it’s surprisingly toxic and unhealthy, albeit sometimes convenient methods + products.
A Crunchy Mom will look to natural health alternatives before turning to modern medicine. Granted, some modern medicines have their proper place, but when it comes to the everyday cuts and scratches, toothaches and upset tummies, we are using herbal remedies. And yes. They work. We are also usually found taking preventative health measures in the form of herbal supplements or in my case, a serious daily tea drinking ritual. Because the Crunchy Mom knows the importance of also taking care of herself in order to properly attend to her children.
A Crunchy Mom follows this same mental focus when choosing the foods her family will eat, keeping it as clean, organic, non-toxic and fresh as possible. Some Crunchy Moms will even grow their own food or live on a homestead. Starting up my garden is something I am hoping to challenge myself to do this year once the weather is primed. Not only is it nutritionally beneficial to eat straight from your garden, but your wallet will thank you, as well. My longterm dream is to have a homestead, living with a community of likeminded individuals where we can help each other to thrive while practicing the principals that are important to us. It feels like such a pipe dream most days, but I still hold onto it and try my best to work toward it, even if it’s just a little, every day. “Do what you can with what you have” is my current life motto.
A Crunchy Mom typically chooses to give birth naturally, at home or sometimes other alternative locations outside of the traditional hospital setting. And even still, those that do go the hospital route make it a point to ask for an unmedicated birth with the understanding that there will be accommodations made for things such as delayed clamping of the umbilical chord or immediate skin to skin contact (which you don’t typically get in that setting without specifically asking for it).
A Crunchy Mom believes in the importance of spending quality time with her children, allowing them both personal space and attachment when needed. The value of awareness is not lost on a Crunchy Mom, who truly believes she is doing pivotal work in raising the next generation. I read a quote the other day that said “It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless” (L. R. Knost). This is what we live by. Sometimes this means limiting screen time or having none at all. It also means spending more time in nature and allowing the child to explore on their own terms. It means sitting with them in the meltdowns and big emotions in order to help their developing brains to understand it all.
A Crunchy Mom is also sometimes known as a hippy or bohemian. The three are nearly synonymous. But what a lot of people don’t always consider is that the hippy movement was started back in the 60’s for similar reasons that women are finding themselves drawn to it today. And even before then, when the true bohemian movement emerged in the 19th and early 20th century, we see a clear divert from the way the systems were running their societies. We long for the older and simpler ways of life because they are tried, tested and approved for centuries, but most of all because the natural alternatives are not doing longterm damage to our physical systems. This includes all areas: mind, body and spirit. Living this lifestyle is a way to truly step into your power and take charge of the aspects of your life that may still currently be under the belief that it is the job of your government or someone else to fulfill.
A Crunchy Mom is usually found making the decision to homeschool or “unschool” their children. Unschooling is a method where the child learns based on their own personal interests, while the adult makes provisions to continue that education. It’s beautifully more in depth and intentional than that, but in a nutshell there it is. This is something I am trying to make room for in our lives so that I will be able to do so when the time comes. Research has shown the incredible benefits of teaching our children in this way. And here’s a little nugget you can have for free: Nearly all of the professionals with their Ph.D.’s and fancy degrees in child development (who’s opinion you probably value when it comes to parenting) are teaching their own children in this way. That should tell you something. We are learning more and more how much the public school system is flawed. And although it is a good alternative for children in unhealthy homes, I think we can all agree the curriculums and standards are due for a major re-evaluation.
All of these things (and more) make up the Crunchy Mom. It is a “trend” that created itself when you consider that each area of concern a mother who lives in her awareness is passionate about has a valid reason for existing. More and more mothers are finding themselves making these decisions one by one until one day they realize they are now considered a “Crunchy Mom”.
Love the title or hate it, it’s here to stay. Just like the facts of the harm that toxins can cause longterm when we eat food sprayed with pesticides, drink fluoridated + dead water, overuse medications, lose our connection to nature, the list goes on (and trust me… it really does). But thankfully so does the list of herbal and natural remedies available to us, in many cases, completely for free. That’s the real gimmick of why the media and pop culture has tried to deem this way of life as “extreme" or “useless” is because big corporations feeding us these toxins no longer get our money. Why should they, after all, when you find out you can grow your own remedies in your back yard?
Thankfully I am raising Mojave in the United States where we are still currently allowed the freedom of expression (although it is sadly beginning to diminish, but that’s a topic for another blog post), and that includes how you choose to live your life. It blows my mind every time I think about the fact that eating healthy and being able to stay holistically well is often a luxury for the rich, and not everyone. Is human health not the baseline of human rights? I think we may all agree that special attention is needed toward humanity right now. The way we have been doing things clearly hasn’t been working. Either way, I’ll digress.
So how about you? After reading this, do your lifestyle choices fit under the Crunchy Mom title?
If you are interested in finding out more about this lifestyle or you are a fellow Crunchy Mom, I’d love to connect with you further this week. Reach out to us on social media.
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Until next week, may the road rise up to meet you!
D+Mo
