I read an article today about how some people feel the need to 'help' parents by giving them advice on how to parent. Read it here if you want. What interested me the most was it focused only on grandparents because the topic could relate to people that don't have kids of their own, fellow parents, doctors etc. The list could probably keep going.
Everyone has an opinion. Awhile back I wrote a blog post about judging others and really this all falls into the same category. I'll easily admit that I've had to bite my tongue a time or two about someone elses 'parenting'. Luckily I've never actually said anything to a parent but I've made my opinion known to someone else (usually Mark) a few times. Majority of those moments came before I was a parent myself. Being a parent now has taught me that while I've watched children before....having your own children is a completely different animal. However, I still stand by thinking someone is an idiot for driving a motorcycle with a cigarette in their mouth AND having their children in front of and behind you without helmets on. I don't care if you're just driving around town or not.
I've also been told a time or two about how to care of my kids. There's no need to go into any detail about those instances but they're things I'll never forget. I just tell myself that they don't agree with my choice and that's their decision. They don't live in my house so their opinion doesn't hold a large amount of weight. I just pray that I am a good enough parent to know when my child is in serious danger or just being a normal, curious toddler.
The end result is hopefully each parents knows their child and their habits better than any outsider would. 'Hopefully' being the key word because there are exceptions to everything. My exception to that rule would possibly be our daycare provider....yes she does get VERY paranoid about things but then again she does see my child awake more than I do. Now if everyone would abide by not offering unsolicited advice and abiding by the rules that are originally set....we'd all be better off. This whole topic makes me happy with the family situation we have.....yes there are sometimes issues but oh dear lord I've heard horror stories from other moms :)
