Opinion

I apologize in advance if this turns out a little ranty.

Life is strange. Every single person on this Earth is living and experience so similar and yet so completely different to our own that my head gets turned around just thinking about it. No two people are going through the EXACT same life but for some odd reason everyone has an opinion at the ready for complete strangers.

I have been told I got married too young, that we waited too long, that it was unnatural not to have kids right after marriage, that I should have waited until I had a stable career, that I spent too long in school, that I should have changed my major again, that I an too worried about my weight, that I will never be ready for bikini season if I eat that, that I need to relax, I am not serious enough, I need to be kinder, I am too much of a push over, blahblahblahblah. Whew.

It is always said with the best of intentions, the person is just imparting a small nibble of their infinite wisdom on my poor misguided soul, and most of the time I just let it wash over me with a somewhat deaf ear.

Recently though, I have been a little fed up on how everyone else is an expert on how to raise my son. There are so many different philosophies and tips and tricks to child raising that everyone has a strong opinion and they vehemently feel that they are correct. From co-sleeping, breast feeding, potty training to day care, tv, ‘husband-training’, and brand loyalty some people can get down right mean if you should, god forbid, disagree with them.

Well here is my unsolicited advice, ironic I know:

Do not starve, beat, neglect, or harm your child mentally or physically in any way. Listen to your trusted healthcare provider. Teach your child. Make your child smile. Try to raise your child into someone you will make you proud. Try new things, find what works for YOU, and forget everything else. As long as you do these things, in my opinion, you are a good parent.

Want to raise your child vegan? Read all the information you can and do it! Think cry-it-out is best? That’s fine. Is co-sleeping the only way you find rest? At least you are sleeping! Comfortable nursing your baby in public? You should be, it’s natural. Tried breast feeding and it didn’t work out for you? As long as the doctor says your baby is healthy than it is no one else’s business if you formula feed. Becoming a stay at home parent? Awesome! Going back to work to have a passionate career? Good for you! Enjoy parent hood, please. I am.

Ok, end of rant. I hope you all have amazing days!