Lately I have been reading some blogs of acquaintances, and have really started to notice a strange trend.

It may be in my brain and totally not legit. But I wanted some thoughts-

When you read or hear about mothers (or you could be one of those) that have these massive soap boxes of "ALL NATURAL!", does it in some way make you feel as though those women think you are less than adequate as a parent because you're not?

I'm all over the epidural and honestly don't feel like it hurts anything. Most of the huge claims I have found to be un-true (like you can't hold your child for 12 hours after their born if you have an epidural- Totally bogus).

Does that mean I'm not willing to suffer for my child or that I love him any less than a "natural" birth mother does?

I feed my kid fruit snacks and goldfish, they come in a box.

Does that make me a horrible mother whose child will apparently have health problems or the world will end by consuming those foods?

I only breastfeed my babies until they get teeth (unless they happen to ween themselves at 5 months like my baby boy did).

Does that mean my son will be behind in school or in special ed because I didn't breastfeed until he was 4?

I let him watch Sid the Science Kid (as apposed to sitting on the floor for hours a day with flashcards), so I can get some bills taken care of or dishes done. Let's face it, the show is catchy! "I'm lookin' for my friends..."

Does that mean my kid will grow up to be a couch potato?

I don't mind if he gets his clothes dirty. He's a toddler. It happens.

Does that mean to the rest of the world I'm a sloppy mother or don't care for his appearance?

I don't cloth diaper and "save the planet".

Does that mean I am going to be one of the first ones to be burned at the stake when the whole "going green" thing gets crazy?

What do you think? Do you find that there are just some things that are over the top? Do you feel like other parents make you feel inadequate because of some of the non-traditional trends? What do you do in your home? Do you feel like it's worth all the intense effort and money to be "all natural"?

Now I do want to clarify that I'm all over eating fruits and veggies, getting plenty of exercise, etc. It's not like my child lives on a diet of cheeze whiz and frozen pizza, but c'mon! If I let him eat frozen/steam veggies over "organic" and I don't do the whole tofu thing, does that mean he is DEPRIVED? It's not that I don't respect/admire those women who are willing to go the extra mile, and I MORE than admire any woman who can handle a natural child birth! WOO! I know I couldn't!

But the point is, do you feel that those types of parents make you feel like because you don't have the same persepctive that they do, like you are somehow inept or ignorant? The same could be said of the other side of the fence: For you mothers who do try to stay "all green" or do "all natural", do you feel like those that don't think you are wierd or a hippy? Do you get flack for your practices?

Share your thoughts! It's a controversial topic!