As a science loving crunchy Mama I have been rather flabbergasted by the notion that Crunchy Parenting is some how anti-Modern Medicine. I can understand that those who don’t practice this kind of parenting might assume that but now there seems to be a growing, pushing, few in this movement of peaceful parenting, attachment parenting, natural parenting, that think to be a crunchy parenting you must some how reject blindly all things in the conventional medical world. While I do not at all think myself the expert in Crunchy Parenting, I have been a part of this community from the modern start of it. I do not at all speak for all of us either, thus the title of this beautiful corner of the internet, A Little Crunchy Parenting Blog. I don’t think anyone can be 100% Crunchy as it encompasses so much.
Just what is Crunchy Parenting. This is actually not a simple answer I think but I made a post to sum it up: What is Crunchy Parenting?
Now that you have a more full idea of what “I” believe this parenting system to be, lets talk about the elephant in the room….
Crunchy Parenting is Informed Medical Consent!
Yes, you can be a crunchy parent and STILL Vaccinate your children. You can bring them to the doctor for an ear infection and yes, still keep your Crunchy Parenting membership card. -sigh- I feel badly even having to explain this. I was shocked when I requested to join a crunchy parenting group and was near interrogated when I answered the public required question if I “believe” in vaccines and I said I and pro-choice as where there is risk there must be choice and that I believe in informed consent. I was then flat out asked if I vaccinate my children. Let me be clear, my children’s medical information is not anyones business but theirs, their parents, and the medical professionals in their lives. This is specially true as my oldest is 18! I do not need to prove to anyone how “Crunchy” I am by sharing my medical choices based on science. I am NOT a science denier, I know so very personally that people can have vaccine reactions, I do not deny that. Why would anyone deny that? It is in the paperwork included with the vaccines. There are many known and dangerous reactions, though the chances are small…. may the odds be ever in your favor, they aren’t in mine! While there just hasn’t been enough research into why some of us react and some people do not react, that doesn’t mean my children do/will react. That however isn’t the point! You are not entitled to others medical information!
You do not have to have a Home Birth to be a Crunchy Parent!
While I adore home births and loved the 2 I had, that doesn’t mean I am any less a great mother for the 5 hospital births I had. You will not lose your membership in the Crunchy Parenting community if you have a c-section! You shouldn’t have to be worried about sharing your birth story if it isn’t in the woods in a wild stream with wild deer looking on as your midwife for fear your medical situation is going to be held against you by “crunchy mom police”. This is getting ridiculous. Do some people really need a Crunchy Mom trophy that they can only get by putting other Moms down?
Just because you are a Crunchy Mom doesn’t mean you don’t take your kids to the doctor!
Yes, my kids go to the doctor when they need to. It isn’t often but goodness we go when we need to! Thank you to modern medicine for saving my daughters foot when she was hiking and tripped and shattered a few bones in her foot. She required surgery… and oh my word… sedation even! She had pins and a plate put in her foot! Years later she then had surgery again to get the pins and plate out of her foot! She can run and has no issues now. Had it not been for modern medicine she might have had pain all her life and might have had many issues with mobility growing up. Taking children to the doctors does not make one any less “Crunchy” than anyone else! Don’t be scared to go to the doctor! While questioning is intelligent and doing due diligence and seeking evidence based care is super important, you can still be Crunchy and use modern medicine.
You know I love herbs and nutrition and even essential oils but…. Don’t Get Me Started! They aren’t going to cure cancer or repair shattered bones people! -sigh-
Dear Crunchy Community, I love you dearly, but please don’t make us all look crazy!
I had my kids before crunchy parenting was a thing but I definitely did fit some of the characteristics. However, I agree with you. We have been blessed to live in the age of modern medicine. Being crunchy doesn’t mean you have to avoid it all together. My kids got all the recommended vaccines, but we did refuse the HPV one for our daughters. There are too many questions about its safety.
I am pro-informed-choice for vaccines for sure and do not blame you!
I fully agree. I live in a very crunchy part of the world (western MA) and many people here try to find alternatives for their families, but don’t go against things like vaccinations and antibiotics – really crucial things!
I feel everyone has a different way of parenting. We have to do what feels right for our family and support each other as moms.
Agree! My kids go to the dr, are vaccinated but delayed and yes, I sometimes try alternative medicine before rushing to antibiotics (like Mulin Oil for ear infections. But in no way does this mean I’d skip going to a dr or hospital when needed.
I still don’t understand why crunchy parenting is. Oops! It sounds like you’re a great mum though. Do people really think you would use modern medicine to help cure your kids if they were really ill? That’s just crazy! I think people just like to stereotype people. It’s so unfair!
Louise x
Oops! That was supposed to say ‘wouldn’t’ not would and I can’t find anywhere to edit it 🙁
What if I told you you don’t have to fit a parenting label at all? Moms of our generation constantly complain about mom shaming while simultaneously expecting everyone to identify with a particular “tribe”. We use a mix of cloth and disposable diapers, co sleep, fully vaccinate (yes, even flu), breastfeed into toddlerhood, etc. I would never call myself crunchy because everyone I’ve ever met who uses that term is anti science and medicine. Why can’t we just be who we are without all the pressure to conform to someone else’s parenting philosophy?
I think you might understand why this blog is called “A Little Crunchy” as I don’t think anyone fits perfectly into any parenting label. Labels can help clarify but they can also limit. I think though tribes are important and labels can help us find our tribe a bit more easily. I have only met very few anti-science (and that is a label too that perhaps doesn’t do what they believe justice) and most in the Crunchy world are a mix, many are at least a little crunchy and don’t even know it. I love my Tribe and have learned so much over these nearly 19 years of parenting and still so much to learn. While I am concerned using the term Crunchy might make someone judge me in a certain way, if they take the time to know me, they will learn I love science, among other things. You should check out my main post about what Crunchy parenting is and why this blog is A Little Crunchy! I think you might like it!