What's in a Name? Mom Types

Before I became a mom I didn't know there were so many ways to mom. You can be a helicopter mom, a tiger mom, a free-range mom (what are were? Chickens?) or an attached mom. What the heck does it even mean to be "crunchy" anyway? I had no idea there were this many categories when it came to parenting and now, I have no idea which mold I fit into. 

​I'm going to touch briefly on a few different types of moms that are out there in the inter webs and hopefully as I work through this, figure out which one I am!

I will tell you I worry a lot and am constantly checking to see if C is OK, does that make me a helicopter mom? I stay home so am I a traditionalist? C is a bit small for hard and fast rules right now but I like to think I'm going to set them when she's older, so does that mean I'll be a tiger mom? 

Helicopter Mom
From what I gather, this mom is in a word, a worry-wort. Wait, is that two words? Anyway, this mom wants to make sure her kids are safe AT. ALL. TIMES. The term seems to suggest this mom is constantly "flying" overhead and watching her children's every move, making sure they are safe and makes all the decisions for them. 

Tiger Mom
This mom likes her rules and she likes them to be followed. If not she may roar. Get it? Good. She expects the best from her children and sometimes maybe even more than their best. I've read that this type of parenting is very focused on receiving high marks academically. 

Free-Range Mom
Is literally the anti-Helicopter Mom. In fact, I think I would very much like to see these two ladies meet in person just to listen to their conversation and viewpoints as they will surely not agree on anything. This type of parenting is more of the "olden days" type of parenting when children would be sent out outside to play only to return home for dinner by the time the street lights came on. In this day and age, children are often not left unsupervised because well, kidnappers (wait, am I starting to sound like a Helicopter Mom? Is Paranoid Mom a mom type?) and with such advanced technology kids are often times more content playing their video games inside instead of going outside to climb a tree. Free-Range Mom wants her kids outside, trusts them to make good decisions and will leave them unsupervised, much to Helicopter Mom's chagrin. 

Attached Mom
Here is where I started to get a bit confused because by name I would think Helicopter Mom and Attached Mom were the same mom. If you're constantly following around your kid doesn't that make you two, attached? Turns out, not so much. Attached Moms are often seen breastfeeding, wearing their baby, co-sleeping with their baby, listening to tantrum fits and trying to work through them/redirecting their child's attention instead of punishing and are basically with their baby 24/7. So while similar to HM, it seems this mom wants her children to make decisions and is helping them get there rather than making them for her kids.

Crunchy Mom
To be honest, this was the first type of mom I had Googled. When I heard it I just did not understand the term. I still can't really wrap my finger on where this term really comes from but based on the descriptions I've read about this type of mom she is organic, potentially vegetarian (maybe even vegan), believes in holistic approaches rather than medicinal and has most likely never had a trans fat in her life. Now it makes sense as to why this type of mom was such an enigma for me, I may not be able to tell if I'm a true Helicopter, Tiger, or Free-Range Mom but I can say with almost 100% certnaity I am not Crunchy. Not that there is anything wrong with this type of Momming, it is just a lifestyle that goes far beyond Momming and is something I would have had to have taken up years ago and I just think this ship has sailed for me. ​

I'm sure there are other types of moms out there and more often than not moms will be a hybrid of all of the above. Heck, I never thought I'd second guess vaccinations before I had a baby, but the internet can be scary (when you set out to search specifically for all that is scary) so hey maybe there is some Crunchy Mom in me after all. I've so far stuck to the recommend schedule though, so...maybe not.

I say I'll be a mix of all these types of moms and I think that'll be OK. I'm going to want to make sure my kids are safe, I'm going to want them to get good grades, respect authority, have fun, climb a tree, and eat healthy (most days) and have the occasional McDonalds burger because everyone should have the occasional McDonalds burger.

Whichever type of Mom you are, I salute you. This is hard work and trying to fit into a specific type of Mom is not necessary, in my somewhat humble opinion. So keep doing you! Maybe I'll create my own type of Mom. The non-type, type of Mom. The name is still a work in progress (kind of like me).  ​