Let’s face it. It’s happened to all of us. From the time we announce our pregnancy and forever forward, we are bombarded with an onslaught of unsolicited crappy parenting advice.
I cannot even tell you the number of times I was told to “sleep when baby sleeps” or “give them benadryl to help them sleep.”
Yeah, because I totally want my baby to have to rely on drugs to fall asleep.
Sure, most of the things people say are coming from a good place, but it’s already hard enough trying to parent a new human being and we don’t need everybody else telling us we’re doing it wrong.
“Why are you tired? You need to sleep when baby sleeps!”
This one is my favorite. Of all the garbage advice I recieved, this one is the cherry on top of the sundae (fun fact: I HATE cherries). Almost every single person I encountered in the first few months of motherhood thought it would be a great idea to grace me with this piece of “advice.”
I think everyone forgets that you’re still a human being after you have a baby. I didn’t want to spend all of my free time sleeping, I wanted to be productive. I wanted to feel normal.
“She’ll go right to sleep for you if you just give her some Bendaryl!”
Are you joking? I’m all for giving medicine for fevers or sickness but if you think I’m going to teach my daughter that she needs drugs to fall asleep, then you’re INSANE.
She goes right to sleep for me 95% of the time WITHOUT Benadryl, thank you very much.
“Let them cry, it’s good for their lungs.”
I have a love-hate relationship with the cry it out method.
For the longest time, I told myself I wouldn’t be the person to let my kid cry it out, but there are rare occasions where I just can’t do anything to soothe her and crying it out is all that works.
I already feel like total garbage when I let her cry, I certainly don’t want anyone telling me to try it. Especially since 1. I’ve tried already and 2. Telling me to do something that I’ve already tried and isn’t working makes me feel like a crappy mom.
I promise I’m not rude or cynical. I can see how this post would give that impression, but anybody who knows me knows I’m normally very understanding. However, everyone eventually reaches a breaking point, no matter how tolerant they are and as you can see, I’ve reached mine.
We’ve all fallen victim to the unsolicited advice train and some of us (including me) may be guilty of driving that train every once in awhile. Let this be a reminder to parents, grand parents and complete strangers alike to think about what you’re saying before offering an opinion.