PunkyMoms.com is the radical brainchild of founder Jessica Seymour, who found that as a new mother, she was no longer on the same wavelength as the people who were once part of her daily life because none of her friends had children. She also discovered that because she had tattoos, piercings, and pink hair, the people she met in public assumed she was the babysitter or the big sister.
Punky Moms was born on April 27th, 2002 as a place for moms to join together, connect, exchange ideas and get support. Purchased in 2005 by Jennifer Johnpoll, Sarah Fanning and Winter Rosebudd because Jess just didn't have the time to devote to it anymore, Punky Moms has grown exponentially in the past few years. They now feature Punky Food (a place to share and trade recipes), a completely new look and logo, a merchandise store, a monthly newsletter with a new giveaway every month, articles on birth, daily trials and tribulations and just about any other topic you can think of, as well as an extensive forum for online chat. Furthermore, the website acts as a a directory of on- and offline resources for parents, with links to Punky Mom-friendly websites, information, stores and products. Today, there are over 1,000 registered members across the globe. The administrators of the site are finding it challenging to keep up with the new users who register daily. Many of the community members have organized playgroups to extend the reach of the cybercommunity.
Punky Moms is taking a more green approach to living, or at least a more vocal green approach. Recenty moving (January 2008) from their current host to a carbon-neutral one, they are also getting ready to launch a green campaign. Included in the campaign will be new canvas shopping bags that come with sampels from eco-conscious companies, coupons, a pamphlet about conservation and more. It's an exciting time to be green, and we're not just talking about your hair!
What is a "Punky Mom?" Jennifer, Winter and Sarah feel that a punkymom is a lot of different things, no two Punky Moms are alike. While some Punky Moms have piercings and tattoos, others choose to cloth diaper, make their own baby food and practice attachment parenting. The community is diverse. According to the website description Punky Moms is a "world-wide group of coffee drinking, singing, toy collecting, nose wiping, comic book reading, picture taking, art making, boo-boo kissing, cartoon watching, tear drying, concert going, ink loving, creative, music playing, hair dying, fierce loving, breast or bottle feeding, attachment parenting, sling wearing, sleep lacking, opinion making, hard working mamas." In a past press release, co-owner Winter Rosebudd had this to say about what a Punky Mom is: "We are not just Punkers anymore, we are now parents, with the same passions that we always had to make living on this earth a better place. When it comes down to it, we are just open-minded moms, who love raising children...it's simple, back to the basics parenting...without judgment. Everyone is welcome."
