Happy Baby Shower to Liz of Mom-101, Christina of A Mommy Story, and Tammie of Soul Gardening!
I’ve been asked to offer both the worst Assvice and Advice I got before I had kids, so here we go.
Don’t do what where??
A coworker whose child is now a teenager was adamant that I never let my child eat in the car. As well as being messy, she felt it created unreasonable expectations on the part of the kids who would then expect to be able to have food in the car whenever they wanted. She felt so strongly about this that she mentioned it to me several times over the course of my pregnancy.
OK, to me that is weird advice, but here’s what I learned from it: parenting is personal! To her that was a cornerstone principle, but to me it was silly. But who cares! It worked for her and it was generous of her to share it with me.
Now you’re talking
The best advice I got was from another coworker who told me that you should listen to all the advice that everyone gives you when you’re pregnant and then do what feels right to you.
Even though it came from someone who raises his kids completely differently than I raise mine, his is advice I can totally get on board with. The most important lesson I’ve learned so far from being a parent is to have the power of my convictions. They’re my kids and I’ll raise them the way I want to, but it is sometimes easier said than done when you go against the grain.
Don’t want to teach your baby sign language / start them on the violin at 3 months / use flash cards so they can be reading at 6 months? Well if you live in a community of folks who are doing all those things it can be tough to opt out. But if you feel that those aren’t the right choices for your family then that’s how you need to proceed.
So good luck, ladies, and do what you feel in your heart!
And for the rest of you, stop by their online baby shower to play party games and win prizes! Don’t miss the ‘guess the pregnant blogger’s belly’ contest and see if you can guess which one was mine. Hint: it was the night before I had Chip and I’m pretty sure it is the largest belly in the list!
Leave a Reply to Christopher Trottier Cancel reply