Courtesy photo
Chantelle Schreyer with her oldest daughter Madison, 13; son, Quinn, 9; and Zoe, 16 months
When Nancy Massotto became a mom, she opted to parent differently than many of the women she knew. The New Jersey woman gave birth to her son at home, prepared organic food for him to eat and used natural remedies and non-invasive healing modalities to treat him when he was sick.
“I wanted to meet other moms doing the same kinds of things as I was doing,” explains Massotto, “but it was hard. I really wanted to be able to talk openly about these practices with like-minded people, but I didn’t know how to find them.”
Eventually, Massotto found some other mothers who she could connect with and after meeting for a period of time, the women decided to launch their first group, calling themselves the Holistic Moms Network (HMN). That was back in 2003. Today, the non-profit support and resource organization has over 140 chapters across the U.S. and Canada.
“We have grown so much over the past few years,” says Massotto, who now serves as HMN’s executive director. “We started with a dozen moms and within that first year, we had over seventy members. Then it exploded and there has been a real surge of interest in the organization, thanks to the ever-increasing popularity of alternative medicine and a growing environmental consciousness.”
As Massotto explains, HMN helps to connect parents who are interested in holistic health and green living. The organization represents a growing demographic of individuals who are questioning conventional wisdom in the areas of birthing, child-rearing, healthcare, nutrition and wellness, education, personal relationships and society’s views about the natural world.
Some of the principles behind holistic living include: eating minimally processed foods and exercising to maintain health; using natural and non-invasive healing modalities that stimulate the body to heal itself; understanding the connections between mind, body and spirit; striving to live in balance with nature and minimizing our impact on the planet; using connection and attachment parenting techniques to raise self-confident and emotionally stable children, taking responsibility for our actions and making informed choices in all areas of life.
“Parenting is a tough job,” says Massotto, “but it’s even tougher when you’ve chosen to do things ‘differently,’ but with HMN, holistic moms can find other holistic moms and get the support, the education and dialogue they need to empower themselves.”
Members of the organization get access to the organization’s many online communities, receive a subscription to “The Wise Mom Newsletter,” get discounts from sponsors and discounted rates for the HMN annual Natural Living Conference, in addition to affiliation in a local chapter. Within the Seattle area, there are three chapters currently. The most recent addition is the Bothell/Eastside King County group, headed up by local resident Chantelle Schreyer.
The Bothell woman first learned of HMN while reading an article in “Mothering Magazine.” She attended a few chapter meetings in Maple Valley and enjoyed the feeling of community that the network gave her, as well as the support of like-minded parents.
“I am very passionate about holistic ways in which to live and raise my children,” says Schreyer. “My husband and I have three children and we have raised them very holistically since birth and use alternative methods such as chiropractic care, breastfeeding past the age of two, eating whole, organically grown and local foods, using naturopathic medicine and homeopathic remedies, as well as ‘living green’ to better our planet for the future of our children.”
Schreyer feels that HMN is an important organization because it heightens awareness in society that there are alternative means to raising children.
Personally, she values it because it has given her the chance to explore different aspects in her parenting choices.
Through discussions and featured guest speakers, she has become more informed, allowing her to make educated decisions regarding the health and well-being of her children.
“The information allows moms like me to be able to trust our instincts, to parent from the heart, to educate ourselves about the pros and cons of all healthcare and parenting options available and to then use our innate sense of what is best for our children,” adds Schreyer.
With only two other Seattle area chapter locations (Maple Valley and Green Lake), the Bothell woman felt there was a definite need for a group on the Eastside.
She was prompted to start a chapter here because she explains that this is a community where people in general are very open-minded about alternative lifestyles and strive to be environmentally friendly.
Ever since the word got out about the new chapter, she has heard from many folks who are excited about having a local HMN group.
“People seem very interested in learning about what it means to be a natural or holistic parent,” comments Schreyer. “With the formation of this chapter, I hope to be able to provide answers to these questions and more through discussion of many topics regarding holistic living.” She adds, “Anyone can come to our meetings and that includes moms, dads, grandparents, partners and other caregivers. And children and babies are always welcome, too. We’re going to have professional speakers, begin a playgroup and a book club, start a lending library of books that parents can read for more information on various topics, have a recipe share, plan mom/dad and tot field trips and much more.”