To the Mom with No Kids
The best kind of advice is from those who have never experienced what we are going through.
You have raised the most well behaved children in the world. I know you are an expert and I should take your advice more often. If I just listened better and executed your tips, my kids would really be much better humans.
Wait, you have NO children? You have zero experience in raising children?
The other day I was out grocery shopping and my baby had a meltdown. I told her she couldn’t have multiple boxes of cookies. Baby girl, I promise one box of cookies will suffice. A lady walked by, looked at my child and told her that she only needed one box. Excuse me ma’am, she doesn't care about what she needs, she cares about what she wants. Kids never really understand the difference between wants and needs. I am ignoring her meltdown, so should you.
If and when you see a mother pull out a bottle of formula instead of breastmilk, please don't feel the need to educate them on the harm. Some mothers are not wanting to breastfeed for certain reasons, and other mothers are actually unable to breastfeed. Motherhood looks different for every mom, and there is beauty in that.
So you know the secret to getting them to eat a proper meal? Oh please do tell, Karen. My toddler who is obsessed with only cheese and bread will kindly take that piece of broccoli if I just explain to her the health benefits. I mean, she is a great listener, and even better at following the rules.
"If I had a child, I would....." nope. Please get back to me when you have children, because if and when that day comes you will see. You will realize that kids don't always listen. They don't always want what's best for them. After all, they are stubborn little humans. I cannot always control them, and other times I recognize it is not worth it, and I will let things slide.
The goal in parenthood is not to make others feel comfortable walking through the grocery store. The goal is to teach our kids to love themselves and love others well.
