What do these terms mean and what happened to just being a Mom?
Moms are the greatest invention on this planet. We all owe our lives and happy, productive childhoods, to a Mom. What are these new Mom-types and how did they evolve?
The Quick Answer:
Crunchy Moms embrace all-natural solutions.
Silky Moms embrace the newest conveniences.
Scrunchy Moms embrace various methods and products old and new.
The In-Depth Answer:
The best way to parent has likely been debated since humans started living in groups, which according to science.org was 52 million years ago. Half of society probably thought breastfeeding mostly from the Left Breast was better, the other half thought the Right was better. One group thought it better to set bedtime at sunset, the other thought it was better to allow another hour for running around the cave to get kids good and tired.
It’s important to remember that despite the good vs bad, right vs wrong judgments, over 100 billion humans have been born and survived childhood because of Moms. Children survive, and often thrive, even with parents who “break every rule” in every parenting book that ever existed.
Being surrounded by love may be the most important parenting method of all time.
Whether you are a Crunchy, Silky or Scrunchy Mom, what everyone is striving for is to be the best Mom that they can be.
A word of caution. Although knowledge is power, it can also be extremely irritating for parents to be told how to parent. Beware when “recommending” your favorite tip to other parents. The well intended gesture can often backfire.
What is a Crunchy Mom?
A Crunchy Mom is someone who tries to raise children in as close to an “all natural” way as possible.
What are other names for a Crunchy Mom?
Hippie Mom
Earth Mama
Natural Living Mom
Organic Mom
Natural Mom
Holistic Mom
Green Mom
That Weird Mom
Granola Mom - this term is sometimes used for a “light” Crunchy Mom.
Crunchy Moms question current practices of what is considered the best way to raise children. Their goal is to make informed choices to create an environment to parent in a way that is closest to nature. They have a willingness to research and accept not commonly used approaches that may come from history, other cultures, or other countries. Their choices are often based on research and self-experience rather than what “everyone else” is doing. They are the type to research the ingredients in a new booty balm rather than looking at the number of stars the product has.
Mental and physical health are important objectives for a Crunchy Mom.
Crunchy Moms are more likely to:
Have a home birth
Have an unmedicated birth
Have an unscheduled birth
Breastfeed, and may utilize extended breastfeeding
Use cloth diapers
Engage in baby wearing
Not vaccinate or not utilize all possible vaccines
Engage in co-sleeping
Make food, including baby food, from scratch
Homeschool
Follows a particular diet such as organic, whole foods, vegan, paleo etc.
Limit screen time
Use essential oils and other natural remedies rather than pharmaceuticals
Addressing possible health issues early, at the first hint of something that might be wrong or alternatively addressing medical issues after they are obvious. They may let their child be sick for longer and let the immune system take care of the infection.
Emphasize recycling or environmental issues in the home.
Avoid plastics especially in food prep and storage
Exclusively buy organic foods
Have a garden or wild forage foods
Crunchy Moms are less likely to:
Circumcise boys
Have a planned C-section.
Have induced labor
Allow children to have soda, candy and processed snacks.
Crunchy moms may view child rearing as part of a larger ecosystem that includes the child’s needs, the family’s needs, society’s needs, and the planet’s needs. Parenting methods and solutions are determined by factoring in as many different important variables as possible to obtain the best outcome.
Pros of being a Crunchy Mom
Can encourage a stronger bond between Mom & Child for example through breastfeeding or baby wearing
Child may be healthier in the long run
Encourages children to research health decisions
Cons of being a Crunchy Mom
Significant research needed to find alternative practices to the “norms” of the day
Significant effort may be needed to get providers and family “on board” with non-conventional parenting practices.
Methods can be more difficult and may require learning new skills Can be inconvenient As practices generally take more time they can produce more stress There may be an increased cost for some products and methods
Takes a significant ongoing time and thought commitment
What is a Silky Mom?
A modern-day mom is sometimes referred to as a Silky Mom. A Silky Mom utilizes all the modern day products, services and conveniences. They are the opposite of Crunchy Moms
What are other names for a Silky Mom?
Modern Mom
Early Adopter Parent
Convenience Mom
Easy Mom
Progressive Mom
Silky Moms use leading edge science and technology to decrease stress and increase productivity in their lives. They often will also use medical advances to their full advantage including cosmetic dental work for their children or cosmetic plastic surgery or laser hair removal. They can be early adopters and embrace new inventions like self-rocking cradles. TIme management, convenience and decreased stress are important objectives for a Silky Mom.
Silky Moms are more likely to:
Have medicated births
Have hospital births
More likely to have a scheduled induced birth or a planned C-section
Bottle feed without attempting breastfeeding
Utilize sleep training if child is not sleeping for an extended time
More likely to use self-soothing, cry-it-out methods
Use disposable diapers
More likely to vaccinate
More likely to use pharmaceuticals earlier
More likely to treat a low fever
Allow abundant or unlimited screen time
Provide immediate pharmaceuticals to address apparent health concerns rather than letting the child suffer with a fever or cold symptoms.
Silky Moms are less likely to:
Make foods from scratch
Let children play in dirt
Strictly monitor what their children eat
Pros of being a Silky Mom Easy Convenient Less stress More time available for other activities
Cons of being a Silky Mom Increased cost
May affect child’s health long-term
May teach the child to take the fastest, easiest solution rather than the solution that promotes long term health.
May encourage the child to not research health decisions.
What is a Scrunchy Mom?
A Scrunchy Mom is a combination of a Crunchy and a Silky Mom. They choose parenting products, methods and techniques that are in alignment with current needs and resources.
They may choose cloth diapers generally but choose disposable diapers for trips and when the child is in daycare or with relatives. Moms may choose to make baby food from scratch, but when times are busy use jarred baby food.
Scrunchy Moms may aim to buy organic foods but choose conventional if organic is not available or cost significantly more.
Balancing resources and results are important objectives for a Scrunchy Mom.
What are other names for a Scrunchy Mom? A “normal” Mom
Scrunchy Moms are more likely to: Make decisions for pragmatic reasons rather than lifestyle specific reasons.
Scrunchy Moms are less likely to: Absolutely restrict or embrace a particular method, product or practice.
Pros of being a Scrunchy Mom
Easy to adapt to life’s current schedule
More convenient than being a Crunchy Mom
Methods can be adapted to decrease stress
Easier to adapt to provider, family or daycare preferences
Choices are not dependent on research
Cons of being a Scrunchy Mom
May have an increased cost
May affect child’s health long-term
No matter what a Mom’s choice, all Moms need the support of the entire village. It’s important to remember most parents are doing their best to raise healthy and happy kids. Whether a Mom is Crunchy, Scrunchy or Silky they all deserve our appreciation and gratitude for taking on the toughest job in the world!
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The term stems from a 2013 episode of Bravo reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, featuring star Yolanda Hadid and her then-teenage daughter, Gigi. Gigi, who is now a model, told her mother over the phone that she was “feeling really weak”, having only eaten “half an almond”.
In response, Yolanda advised the 17-year-old to “have a couple of almonds and chew them really well”.
This clip resurfaced about 10 years later. It generally means a Mom that follows a strict nutritional plan and requires that their children follow the same diet. Both Mom & child are now assumed to be victims of a diet culture.
An Almond Mom often tries to influence other adults to follow their lifestyle choices.
Like many dietary choices, limiting foods to be healthier may seem extreme in the moment, only for medical science to discover it is beneficial a decade later. Limiting a child's soda consumption in the 80’s was considered extreme. Today childhood consumption of soda has been linked not only to obesity and tooth decay but also decreased bone strength and diabetes.
A Gummy Bear Parent lets their child indulge, usually without restraint, candy, baked goods, soda, gummies etc.
A Gummy Bear Mom is the opposite of an Almond Mom.
YES! The definitions for Crunchy, Silky or Scrunchy Moms apply to Dads as well.
That depends . . .
The primary question to ask yourself is if they are asking for your advice or help?
Just because someone may benefit from your words of wisdom doesn’t mean that they want to hear it or are willing to change what they are already doing.
Parents who give advice, even though they are well intentioned, are often perceived as smug, snobby, elitist or holier-than-thou parents.
