Are NP moms inherently lazy and cheap?

[Dragonfly]

I will be home schooling and grow my own and am not loaded? or a hippy? sometimes people say hippy like its a bad thing to. I never met a horrible hippy and I know people who are real hippies. To be I do whats best for my family in my eyes.

I am not saying hippy like it's a bad thing but it does make me sad that I know people who don't work, live a nomdic lifestyle for most of the yr, hoem school, tend to their veggie patch (have room for a veggie patch!) There are no allotments near us, and don't work.... I wish I could do that!

I have been called a hippy because I do a lot of "alternative" things which relate to being a hippy, parenting and non parenting, but I have noticed that to do it properly you need to have money x

Well I dont work, and will home school, and probably should tend to my patch since its an over grown mess and live in a very nice looking place with mountains and rivers and loughs, and forests. Not sure if thats such a bad thing of you are just jealous and wish for the life style? My partner works, we pay our way.

 

[Rachel_C]

I will be home schooling and grow my own and am not loaded? or a hippy? sometimes people say hippy like its a bad thing to. I never met a horrible hippy and I know people who are real hippies. To be I do whats best for my family in my eyes.

I am not saying hippy like it's a bad thing but it does make me sad that I know people who don't work, live a nomdic lifestyle for most of the yr, hoem school, tend to their veggie patch (have room for a veggie patch!) There are no allotments near us, and don't work.... I wish I could do that!

I have been called a hippy because I do a lot of "alternative" things which relate to being a hippy, parenting and non parenting, but I have noticed that to do it properly you need to have money x

I sort of see your point but I think there are two ways of doing it. One can cost you more money - you could only eat organic fruit, veg and eggs delivered by Abel and Cole; you could use nappies delivered each week by a laundry service (still not as expensive as sposies but more than washing them yourself); you could only wear upcycled clothes from Etsy. The cheaper way involves more effort on your part - grow your own fruit and veg and keep some chickens (we don't have a huge garden but the allotments here are £40 a year for a plot that should be big enough to provide what we need for a family of 4 so about 2 weeks' worth of Abel and Cole deliveries, plus seeds of course); wash your own nappies; search charity shops and upcycle your own clothes. So I wouldn't say you NEED to have money to do things like that, but if you aren't willing to put the work in and still want to do it of course you can pay somebody else to do it for you

XSin.... This is exactly how NP should be thought as. Trying to do your bit for the enviro... apparently, one of the best things anyone can do for the enviro is not have any children... but then we wouldn't get very far :doh:

The aim is to offset any environmental impact you make, and as a parent I think it is very important!.... One of the best things is to buy 2nd hand! We buy everything second hand, and at the same time we're giving to charity

Depends on your definition of NP though really. To some people, NP is about raising children in a baby/child led way because that's what 'natural' for humans. Or it can mean not using unnecessary chemicals. It's not all about the environment for everybody. As you said, not having kids is better for the environment, which would kind of make 'natural parenting' by your definition a bit of an oxymoron .

 

[Dragonfly]

I do take the cheaper way though, I want to spend my money on nice things not stuff I could be saving on. Like we would actually burn candles here to save electric, we would not use the tumble so much (we do way to much laundry) . I dont always buy organic , I would sometimes . I cant grow all year around. I dont buy expensive clothes for myself I think as I cant really afford all that. My bills are paid, rent and food on the table thats whats important to me.

 

[snowfia]

Her being in my bed is lazy, yes. But only because she's such a bad sleeper that I would literally get about 2 hours sleep a night if she didn't, if that. I'd like to be in a good mood in the day haha. Cloth nappies are more effort IMO, washing, drying etc rather than just throwing it away. They are cheaper but there's nothing wrong with saving money!
And baby wearing just means a happier baby and there is also nothing wrong with that

 

[snowfia]

And giving LO what's on my plate can be seen as lazy but she'd much rather eat what I eat. She's more likely to eat more haha. And again with saving money

 

[Toms Mummy]

I will be home schooling and grow my own and am not loaded? or a hippy? sometimes people say hippy like its a bad thing to. I never met a horrible hippy and I know people who are real hippies. To be I do whats best for my family in my eyes.

I am not saying hippy like it's a bad thing but it does make me sad that I know people who don't work, live a nomdic lifestyle for most of the yr, hoem school, tend to their veggie patch (have room for a veggie patch!) There are no allotments near us, and don't work.... I wish I could do that!

I have been called a hippy because I do a lot of "alternative" things which relate to being a hippy, parenting and non parenting, but I have noticed that to do it properly you need to have money x

Well I dont work, and will home school, and probably should tend to my patch since its an over grown mess and live in a very nice looking place with mountains and rivers and loughs, and forests. Not sure if thats such a bad thing of you are just jealous and wish for the life style? My partner works, we pay our way.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I think it's great that you are able to home school and tend to a veggie patch and not work.... but still pay your way.

I am doing things the hard way, I've used cloth, had a veggie patch when on mat leave and whilst a sahm for a while. I'm just saying, it is a lot harder to do these thing if you don't have the money!... I would love to home school but we can't as we can't afford for me not to work, however.... I offset this as I live in Snowdonia, I'm an outdoor instructor and teach forest schools so I can bring these to my OH when he's not in school like on the weekend... but if I didn't work I could do this during the week without the added stress of teaching other kids too x

 

[Dragonfly]

What works for one dosnt always work for another. Over here if I went to work and left my kids in day care (no no family to care enough to look after) it would cost me my weeks wages to keep just one of them in daycare for a weel and we would be homesless pretty fast and starving. I am fortunate I believe in my situation.

 

[Toms Mummy]

I know what you mean Dragonfly.... I gave up my job when I went back after mat leave as it just wasn't worth bringing £200 a month back after chikdcare and never see my son! I became a sahm and have only just gone back to work as OH is strugglling with his self employed work.... It make so much sense for you to be in your situation x

 

[Toms Mummy]

I will be home schooling and grow my own and am not loaded? or a hippy? sometimes people say hippy like its a bad thing to. I never met a horrible hippy and I know people who are real hippies. To be I do whats best for my family in my eyes.

I am not saying hippy like it's a bad thing but it does make me sad that I know people who don't work, live a nomdic lifestyle for most of the yr, hoem school, tend to their veggie patch (have room for a veggie patch!) There are no allotments near us, and don't work.... I wish I could do that!

I have been called a hippy because I do a lot of "alternative" things which relate to being a hippy, parenting and non parenting, but I have noticed that to do it properly you need to have money x

I sort of see your point but I think there are two ways of doing it. One can cost you more money - you could only eat organic fruit, veg and eggs delivered by Abel and Cole; you could use nappies delivered each week by a laundry service (still not as expensive as sposies but more than washing them yourself); you could only wear upcycled clothes from Etsy. The cheaper way involves more effort on your part - grow your own fruit and veg and keep some chickens (we don't have a huge garden but the allotments here are £40 a year for a plot that should be big enough to provide what we need for a family of 4 so about 2 weeks' worth of Abel and Cole deliveries, plus seeds of course); wash your own nappies; search charity shops and upcycle your own clothes. So I wouldn't say you NEED to have money to do things like that, but if you aren't willing to put the work in and still want to do it of course you can pay somebody else to do it for you

Oh yeah, I understand that, I am definately the latter... but I struggle to find the time to do things like have a veggie patch and home school, it would be nice to have more money to do those things. Or send Tom to a steiner school! x

XSin.... This is exactly how NP should be thought as. Trying to do your bit for the enviro... apparently, one of the best things anyone can do for the enviro is not have any children... but then we wouldn't get very far :doh:

The aim is to offset any environmental impact you make, and as a parent I think it is very important!.... One of the best things is to buy 2nd hand! We buy everything second hand, and at the same time we're giving to charity

Depends on your definition of NP though really. To some people, NP is about raising children in a baby/child led way because that's what 'natural' for humans. Or it can mean not using unnecessary chemicals. It's not all about the environment for everybody. As you said, not having kids is better for the environment, which would kind of make 'natural parenting' by your definition a bit of an oxymoron .

Yeah that's true, I definately parent in a child led way but I would have never put it down as natural parenting... But I understand what you mean when you say natural for humans x

 

[Liesje]

How could anyone NOT be jealous of someone having the option of not working?

 

[Kess]

I know things may be different elsewhere but I do think more people have the option of not working if they truly wanted to. It would take a hell of a change of lifestyle for many people, and they may not be willing to make that change, which is fine and people need to do what is right for them. But sometimes I think people ought to be honest (even if only with themselves) that they are choosing their current standard of living etc over staying home, which, as I said above may well be the right choice for them, but they shouldn't paint it as "Oh I couldn't possibly afford not to work, you're so lucky you can afford it" like I've married into money or won the lottery or something. DH used to earn £17k. I wasn't working then either, though received some disability benefits but certainly not enough to bring us up to the average wage for one person. We still paid the mortgage and all our bills, stashed loads into savings, and had enough for little luxuries, it just meant we had to not have many luxuries, live in a cheap part of the country, do a regular budget, not go out drinking or buy new clothes, etc.

 

[Liesje]

I agree... Unfortunately I've made the mistake of having too much fun on my mat leave... OH thinks I just want to stay at home so I can play with my babies, which is technically true. He'd resent me if he had to go to work and be miserable while the rest of us didn't work and just played games all day.
He'd also be miffed if I took it upon myself to trade our current standard of living in for being a stay at home mom which he doesn't really see the value of.

 

[Toms Mummy]

How could anyone NOT be jealous of someone having the option of not working?

I've done both... worked part time, full time and spent the last 9 months as a SAHM.... I would choose being at home with my LO over the others!

 

[Rachel_C]

I suppose I'm 'lucky' that through illness and marriage/moving away from my hometown/job, I never got a proper career established before we had kids, which means if I went out to work now I'd be starting at the bottom again. My wages would barely cover the stupidly expensive childcare round here so it's not worth it for me to go back. In that way, even if OH did want me to work (which he doesn't particularly, I've threatened him with having to do the cleaning!), it wouldn't be the wise choice anyway. So even though it is definitely a choice for us that I stay home, it's not a difficult one!

 

[MommyJogger]

I would love to stay at home, but it doesn't make long-term sense for us. We want three kids, spaced ~2 yrs apart, so I'd spend 8 years at home before all our kids are in school and then what? I don't see myself staying home all day alone just waiting on time to pass. I'd go crazy. And no one's going to hire a science Ph.D. who hasn't worked for 8 years. I'd love to just run a mini farm and self-subsist/sell locally, but I'm not sure I'll be physically up for that at 35 and that takes start-up money.
I would disagree with most people here. I find np to be exceptionally cheap since I do everything secondhand or make it myself. But I don't see how it could be considered lazy. I end up doing so much more work than I otherwise would.

 

[Linzi]

Lazy, yep. Cheap, sort of though I make up what I save in most things on her wardrobe