Am I Really a Natural Parent?

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.

For the first "I'm a Natural Parent, But . . ." carnival I shared what I thought was a pretty exhaustive list. Here's a link to the entire post. To summarize my non-crunchiness: I had a planned induction with an epidural (and liked it), we vaccinate (on schedule), we don't wear our babies (and use a stroller), and we love television and computer games (and don't stress about it).

Today's post outlines several other things we do that would be considered slightly more mainstream. (Okay, we may actually be swimming in that stream.)

This is one half of our play room
(with a slightly dazed Agent A)

We have a play room full of toys, and not the natural, wooden, sensory, battery-free kind. I mean toys . . . plastic, loud, musical, TV- and movie-based, made in China, toys. We also have bookshelves overflowing with stories and two giant bins of dress up clothes, along with a play kitchen, a child-sized table, a rocking horse, a whole village of stuffed animals and baby dolls, and enough art supplies to fill ten preschools. Thank goodness we have the space to devote an entire room to this stuff, because that's what it takes. 

We recently ditched cloth in favor of disposable diapers. We used cloth diapers (the same set) for all three Agents. Once we got to our last baby they started to literally fall apart in the wash. We were down to maybe eight in decent condition. Then we moved and switched over to disposables while they were in shipment. By the time they arrived, I realized I just didn't care anymore. Agent A will be in sposies till he learns the potty. And he's not even two yet, so this could be a while.

We do all sorts of other random not-very-natural-parenting stuff every. single. day. I forget the @#$% ^& reusable grocery bags about 75% of the time. I prefer the cheap, plastic disposable razors you can buy for like $2.00 a dozen. We buy fruit at the grocery store without caring if it's organic and often we don't even wash it before we eat it. Sometimes I grab a paper towel even if the reusable clean-up cloths are sitting right there next to them. We eat all sorts of non-wholesome store-bought snacks. Goldfish crackers? We buy the biggest box they sell. Graham crackers? Check. Frozen fruit bars (aka, glorified popsicles)? Sign me up. 

And let's not forget the huge list of things I do that might kill me.

I mentioned at the end of the last carnival on this topic that I hesitate to even refer to myself as a natural parent because sometimes that label feels, well, unnatural. To me it conjures up an image that I just don't fit. 

Now I can't help but wonder: What exactly makes a parent, a natural parent? And is it possible that I've just been kidding myself and maybe I'm . . . not?

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure anymore. 

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.

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.