No problem Hand position is a really great way to modify the difficulty of crunches and similar exercises. Here's a list of places you can put your arms - going from easiest to most difficult. Some of them are more awkward from crunches than other though. Start wherever works best for you, and once it gets easier and your abs get stronger, you can try some more difficult positions:
Arms on waist (or just stretched out like you described) Arms crossed across chest Arms on shoulders Arms behind neck* Arms behind head* Arms on head* (*for these 3, be sure your arms are not pushing your head or neck up into the crunch - you can really hurt yourself that way!) Arms bent, over head Arms straight, over head
After you get that down you can also try holding weights on your chest or over your head!
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Re: Thanks Laurel
Hand position is a really great way to modify the difficulty of crunches and similar exercises. Here's a list of places you can put your arms - going from easiest to most difficult. Some of them are more awkward from crunches than other though. Start wherever works best for you, and once it gets easier and your abs get stronger, you can try some more difficult positions: 
