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8th March 2024
12:40pm GMT
The crunchy mom, the scrunchy mom and what appears to be the latest addition, the silky mom.
We already have so much to remember as parents the last thing most of us want to do is figure out the new TikTok lingo that seems to seep its way into our everyday lives.
Yet if you're like me and just a bit curious about the terms that show up on your For You Page, just keep reading, we did the research so you don't have to.
Crunchy moms like to keep both their practices and products as close to nature as possible.
For example, they may lean towards holistic, natural, and organic approaches when it comes to the food they feed their kids or the healthcare they choose.
One website for the parenting style defines being crunchy as, "environmentally, health, and socially conscious" parents who are not afraid "to speak their minds when necessary to help or protect someone. A mom who fosters a strong, positive bond with their children through natural living."
However, over the years and in part thanks to the digital age, the term has been defined and redefined and not always in a positive light.
Crunchy parents can be seen as snobby and elitist, given that many of their practices are only available to financially privileged people.
They can also be seen as extreme, with views regarding food and healthcare that can, at times, border on danger such as turning away traditional medicine or even vaccines.
However, it's important to note that this doesn't reflect the beliefs of every parent who identifies themselves as crunchy.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the silky mom.
These parents typically hold very modernist beliefs such as trusting modern medicine and using modern technology to aid them in their parenting journey.
One definition offered reads that they follow "the advice of established medical authority; often tend to be working moms who rely on modern products for convenience and time management."
They tend to encourage people to parent in a way that suits them even if some practices have been looked down upon such as using disposable nappies and bottle feeding.
This stance didn't arise out of nowhere.
Even today, parents who don't breastfeed can be criticised and vaginal births are referred to as "natural births" (as if C-sections are somehow "unnatural").
Cue the Hannah Montana music, "you get the best of both worlds."
These parents embrace the idea that we don't have to be all or nothing when it comes to raising our children, and that there are some good things about crunchy and silky parenting philosophies.
One TikTok mom, who goes by @lovewyns, put it best when highlighting the balance scrunchy moms strike.
"Had an unmedicated labour at home ... that ended in a C-section," she wrote in a TikTok video.
"I breastfeed in public while drinking cocoa-cola," she added before reminding parents that parenting is all about finding a balance that works for your family.
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