Naptime Blog

So the question is:  In my attempt to become a Crunchy Mom, will I end up Crunchy Granola or Nestle Crunch? 

There are some things I know my husband and I are not going to change (nor would we if we were back in certain situations) but there are some things I would like to say will stick.  If you went down a list of things that might get me to be known as a crunchy hippie mom, most of them are just not me…

• Home birthing:  I would have loved the opportunity to give birth to my children at home in the tub.  But considering the fact that my water broke with my oldest and after fourteen hours without dilating, increasing the risk of infection and increasing the risk of harming my child, I went the C-Section route.  Three times.  The risks associated with a VBAC were just not worth giving it a try.  So home birthing would have never been an option for me.
• Holistic Medicine:  I guess I would consider trying anything, but I tend to think I would always go back to modern medicine.  And I do not manage pain well.  Moms who give birth with no pain meds?  Hats off to you.  I will take my drugs anyday.
• Exclusive breastfeeding:  I give credit to those mothers who can do this.  I tried.  But being available every three hours round the clock for 2 years and be the only one who could feed my child was just not cutting it for me.  I did do the tandem nursing thing a few times with my twins, but look:  After nine months of a pregnancy, I need my body back and my rest to be a good mother to my children.  That’s just me… to each his own (or her own).  I nursed each of my kids for 3 months, supplementing all the while. And they are happy, healthy children.
• Co-sleeping:  Literally?  No way.  Each of my children were in our room in their OWN bassinets for about 3-4 months after their births.  I felt comfortable knowing my newborns were close by and that I could get to them quickly if needed.  But then they moved into their own rooms with their own cribs.  My three boys (all within 14 months of age) all share a room.  We have three cribs in their room.  So if that is considered co-sleeping, then I guess I’m in.  Otherwise, my husband and I believe the only people in our home sharing a bed is him and I.
• Baby wearing:  I have tried this.  I tried to wear my twins in two carriers at the same time; I nearly chopped my head off.  I tried to wear my youngest so that I can have two free hands to tend to the toddler twins;  he is too active and I was scared he might fall out if I bended over to get one of his brothers.  So yes, I have tried, but I am not a big fan of baby wearing. 
• Not vaccinating:  OK, now this one I take personally.  As a biology major in college, I am all too aware of the many communicable diseases out there.  Yes, smallpox is not a life threatening disease because we haven’t seen it in years.  But guess what, Moms?  All it takes is one child to catch the disease from somewhere (possibly visiting another country), bringing the disease back to the U.S., other non-vaccinated children catching it, and then we have a deadly epidemic.  I have researched the vaccines recommended for children in the U.S., and I can’t see how the small risks could possibly outweigh the benefits of vaccinating.  All of my children have received all of their shots on schedule.  If my child catches a new strain of something he or she has been vaccinated against because other parents chose not to vaccinate and a disease has mutated, that is irresponsibility on our part as a society.  Medicine and technology advancements should be utilized when available all across the board.
• Not circumcising:  I have to admit, I was on the fence with this one.  I thought about not circumcising.  In the end, it was my husband’s decision for this one, as he has “that part” and knew better than me.  We circumcised all three of my sons.  I cried all three times as they were brought into the nursery for the procedure.  But I know it was the best thing for our family.  One day I might write more about my husband’s reasons and why we circumcised.  I have no regrets.
• Being against crying-it-out:  All four of my children have been STTN (sleeping through the night) since before they were 2 months old.  I could not possibly function if my children were two years old and still waking up crying in the middle of the night.  My children are very good night sleepers (not the best nappers, though), so I have been very lucky.  When they wake in the middle of the night crying it is usually because someone is sick or some other extenuating circumstance.  But if one of my children got into a habit of waking nightly crying, you can bet he’d be crying it out until he realized nighttime is for sleeping.
• Cloth diapering:  I will gladly buy the most environmentally friendly diaper they sell, but I will NOT cloth diaper.  I do laundry for six, and that is about 15-16 loads per week…  I will not wash diapers on top of that.  Besides, I’m not that much of a SuperMama… sometimes I can barely stand cleaning butts, never mind the diapers that the butts were on.
• Diaper-less:  I battle one of my twins regularly when he decides he wants to strip down and be natural.  After one such occasion of him stripping with poop in his diaper while he was playing with his twin in their corral, I have certainly decided “diaper-less” is NOT for me.  Thank you very much.
• Home schooling:  Another one you can keep.  I believe the socialization and the benefit of learning as a group of peers is invaluable. 
• Gentle Disciplining:  Yes, we tend to do a little of this, and I do not believe children should be hit, save a gentle spank on a diapered tushy or a little tap on a hand that just stuck a key in an electrical outlet to remind him that this is not something we do.  I try to reason with my children and distract them from certain behaviors.  But I do not see how you can distract or reason with an 8 year old who rolls her eyes and opposes every possible suggestion you give (Did you know the sky is orange according to tweens?  Can’t imagine what color it will be by the time she is a teen!).  For those parents who do, kudos to you.  For me, I know a stern raised voice works wonders.  I also think that respect for authority means that a little fear needs to be in place.  I do not want my children to be afraid of me.  I do, however, want them to know that there are unpleasant consequences in life (prison, fines, losing possessions, etc.) and being fearful that these unpleasant things might happen to them will help them to stay away from certain behaviors.
• Organic food and clothing:  So, this one I can try.  And I plan to.  I might meet some resistance from my husband and some other members of my extended family, but I am going to give this one a fair shot.  I’m not too thrilled with the idea of pesticides and chemicals in our food anyway. 

I guess it is pretty safe to say you will never see me become a crunchy hippie mom, however, I do think our family has a lot more room to “Go Green”.  Therefore, I plan on taking the next few weeks to use less paper plates and eat more organic.  I’m already recycling, but I can be better with reducing and reusing.  And I am going to consider buying more eco-friendly cleaning supplies as well.  I plan to take you all along with me…  Stay tuned for more on “THE NEVALAND FAMILY GOES GREEN”.

Jennifer Nevadomski
Paul’s Wife
Mom to: Juliana, 8 – Louis and Anthony, 22 months – Joseph, 8 months
www.nevaland.com