This isn’t a religious post – don’t worry, I just couldn’t think of a better title…
Parenting is hard work.. This wonderful video from Tim Minchin sums it up beautifully.
Having a newborn in the house once again has made me remember just how keen everyone is to push their ‘recommended’ ideals for their children onto you and your child. If you’re not doing it their way, it’s the ol’ shake of the head and sucking air through the teeth routine. You name it, someone has an opinion on it, very rarely is there a middle ground, you’re either right or wrong.
I *hate* this.
There is no ‘way’ to parent a child. Parenting comes from learning, knowledge, luck and making mistakes.
I respect and listen to people with opinions of both sides of the coin, those who’ve tried different things and made a judgement based on their experience. Rather than those people who swear blind you *must* do this (because they read a book about it) or you and your baby are a failure.
The ol’ favourite one is ‘Breast Vs. Bottle’. G was bottle fed, it worked well, and she’s grown into a beautiful and amazing young lady. J is getting Boob, and I’ve no doubt he’ll thrive too. I’ve got a list of ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ for both in my head, in all honesty, they feel equal. Even if I favoured one over the other, I wouldn’t constantly praise one and bad mouth the other, I’d offer my thoughts and feelings on both. You want to bottle feed? Yay you! Want to give your child some titty milk? You go girl!
You need to do what is best for YOU as parents, and YOUR child, take advice with a pinch of salt because you will find the right way, it’s there, somewhere in between all the facts and opinion. Don’t let others make you feel bad about your parenting choices, do what you think is best, and anyone who doesn’t respect your choices can fuck off.
This wonderful video from Tim Minchin. There is no 'way' to parent a child. Parenting comes from learning, knowledge, luck and making mistakes.