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Being A Crunchy Mom Is Taking The World By Storm
We might all benefit from a bit of added crunch.
As if motherhood and parenting weren’t tricky enough, a new definition has been making the rounds on social media.
“Crunchy mom”
This term might conjure up images of a mom handing out a Cadbury’s Crunchy to her happy kid. But you would be wrong.
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So. Very. Wrong.
A crunchy mom, or crunchy parenting, or crunchy dads for that matter would never, even on their worst days dare to abuse their children in this way…Chocolate bars?!? You mean poison?
No. A crunchy kid, in all likelihood, won’t ever (E.. V.. E.. R..) eat a Crunchy. Until they’re old enough to rebel and buy their own chocolate that is.
“Crunchy” is slang derived from “granola”. As in homemade, organic, all-natural, holistically healing, toxin-free, plastic-free, screen time free wholesome “goodness”.
If you are a parent, you might know someone crunchy.
The mom who hosts kiddies’ parties without cake and only serves water, popcorn and fruit slices…
(I warn you, as you read on, you might come to the shocking conclusion that you yourself might be a bit crunchy around the edges…)
Crunchy mom staples:
- Strict rules about what touches their children’s skin. Be it toys, clothes, bedding, or toiletries:
No plastic. No artificial dyes, no “toxic” store-bought detergents or soaps/lotions, no disposable diapers, and no allopathic (western) medicine.
Their kids play with wooden toys, spun linen rompers, have organic cotton sheets and blankets, and use coconut oil, activated charcoal or essential oils for any personal cleaning that needs to be done.
If there’s an unpolluted stream nearby, they would probably bathe in it…But then…wouldn’t we all love that?
- Strict rules about diet that goes further than just cutting out sugar.
Think gluten, lactose and anything that isn’t strictly organic and GMO-free. Again, no artificial flavours or colours are allowed.
- Gentle parenting…no spanking allowed.
Crunchy parents believe in natural consequences, emotional coaching, and time-outs as punishments. (This is the one part of crunchy parenting we can absolutely get behind!)
- Screen-free households
The TV never babysits a crunchy kid.
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Some crunch can add flavour to your parenting
Most of us already know that an unprocessed natural diet, lots of outdoor play, limited screen time and less plastic rubbish is better for our kids and our planet. Not to mention the fact that spanking rarely does anything to improve a child’s long-term behaviour or emotional wellness.
So maybe, adding some crunch to your parenting could be beneficial?
If you feel like crunchy appeals to you, why not investigate these crunchy mom social media accounts and decide for yourself?
For a humorous take on the crunchy mom stereotype, find Really Very Crunchy and enjoy!
Thank you to Willemien Aukema Heymans for her crunchy insight and cracking images.
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Read more in our latest Digital Magazines!
Johannesburg
Pretoria
Cape Town
Durban
Vaal Triangle
Bloemfontein
