Confessions of a DIY Mom

I would not be lying if I said I have never bought a jar of baby food. Because yes, I was one of those moms who made all of her baby's food, herself. From the moment they were done breast-feeding and started on solids, I was in my kitchen whipping up all varieties of healthy, delicious food that was devoid of taste, looked like wallpaper paste and could be gummed.

(I'm not going to even get into how long I breast-fed becauseโ€”_whoaโ€”_in case you haven't noticed, that is a big fat hornet's nest. Let's just say it was more than eight months and less than 14 years.)

I spent hours in my kitchen chopping, steaming, purรฉeing, pouringโ€”and then freezing the results in ice cube trays for individual portions. Their favorite was a concoction I made out of brown rice, steamed chicken and tofu. (At least I think it was their favorite, but what were they going to do? Ask for a cheeseburger instead? God made babies unable to speak for a reason.)

RELATED: Stress-Busting Tips for New Moms

If I was feeling particularly adventurous, I made tiny sushi rolls that they could pick up with their chubby little hands and feed themselves. I made baby-friendly versions of stew and "salads" out of diced steamed vegetables that was just as horrible as it sounds. I even madeโ€”for no reason other than the fact that I _couldโ€”_teeny, tiny little meatloaves out of ground turkey and some leftover purรฉe cubes. Somebody should have stopped me.

I can't tell you exactly why I was intent on making all of my own baby food, but according to a recent article in The Atlantic I was part of a trend they call "DIY Parenting," which covers everything from homeschooling to unschooling to home-birthing toโ€”in my caseโ€”getting crafty with a Cuisinart, some chicken breasts and a bag of produce. And while the article suggests that DIY parenting is a way for parents to "express their individuality," It might have just been a way for me to feelโ€”no matter how misguidedโ€”that I had some sort of control over my world and my babies' lives.

Once I realized that my crystals, rabbit's foot and magic beans were failing miserably, controlling what went into their stomachs gave me some peace of mind.

Because with all of the uncertainty, the fear and trepidation that comes with being a parent, aren't we always looking for something, no matter how small, that we can do to increase the odds of a favorable outcome? I think that was the case with me; once I realized that my crystals, rabbit's foot and magic beans were failing miserably, controlling what went into their stomachs gave me some peace of mind.

And I wasn't alone. I had friends who made their own baby clothes, knitted their own blankets, and made their own soap and cleaning supplies. I even knew someone who made all of her own baby books out of scraps of felt and old T-shirts. Books that only featured sweet stories about virtuous animals. I didn't keep in touch with her, but something tells me she would not approve of the Internet at all.

RELATED: A Taste of Home Cooking

I couldn't tell you if all of my hours spent making baby food paid off. While my girls have grown into healthy teens and excellent students, I can't say how much of that was due to my brown rice, chicken and tofu concoction. I would love to say my homemade purรฉes made them develop an aversion to processed food, but sometimes there's nothing they love more than a bag of Cheetos and a Coke.

The only thing I can say is that I was doing what I felt was best for my babies, and I actually enjoyed that time in the kitchen making something I knew was nourishing their bodies, and hopefully their souls. Except for those miniature meatloavesโ€”those were totally unnecessary.