White Trash Mom?
You would think that I would question my parenting skills once in a while, and I guess I do, but not the same things that other people question in me.
I am not the mom who has the high chair cover for the restaurants or the covers for the shopping carts. I just think that it looks strange. I get the idea of it, but to me, a few germs on the shopping cart or high chair are the least of my concerns. I also just throw food down on the table without cleaning it off. Ew, I know that is sort of gross.
Another thing that I get a lot of, “you better not do that!” comments to are when I set Maisie down on the floor of a restaurant to crawl around. I know the floors are gross (not compared to floors in Paris!!!), but she is past the putting everything in her mouth stage and of course I will wash her hands when she is done rummaging through crusted dog poop or old chewed up gum!
As I have mentioned in a previous post, I get a few looks when riding on the escalator with Maisie in her stroller. How dare I endanger my child!!!
Hmmm, what else is there? Lots I am sure. I sort of feel like a crazy person for letting her eat real people food. One of my friends was feeding her a slice of pizza the other night! But I also got a few comments about how I wasn’t feeding her enough. I think parenting is a lose lose in most cases. Everyone has their opinions and you just have to do what is right for you. That is what I am finding.
I easily get caught up in the idea that I have to have or buy all these things in order to be a good mom or keep my child safe. I even switched diapers because one of my good friends swore by Huggies, when Pampers was all that I had ever even used. One day later and a huge package of Huggies bought…Maisie’s butt was covered with little red dots. Back to Pampers it was!
I love the adventure in parenting and learning what is right for us. I think there is no right or wrong in most cases. Yes, I say most cases because as a now experienced mom, I have certain strong opinions on certain matters, which we won’t go into for fear of causing conflict! I am gaining confidence in my parenting, even though I am still pretty unsure of what I am doing most of the time!
Note to self: don’t let almost one year old eat a tortilla chip in the restaurant, causing her to vomit all over your hand as the server takes your order. Instead….break up that salt infested who knows what is in it chip into a small teeny tiny piece so that she/he won’t choke on it!
Jen…you have to parent the way you know best. The most crucial thing about parenting is not whether you let your child crawl on a restaurant floor or eat off the table. The most crucial thing is showing complete love and acceptance and joy for your child. THAT is what causes a child to thrive. You’re doing a GREAT job!
WAY TO GO and may I say WELCOME to motherhood! I have to admit I only became the mom you are the second time around. So you got there much faster than me. My children totally eat food off the floor (cheerios), and I forget to wash their hands- oh no. We jumped straight into the target and walmart brand diapers after the hospital pampers ran out. Huggies always left my kids with leaks and bumps as well.
So keep trucking for us moms out there who are just like yourself.
Happy Thanksgiving
I had a lady freak out on me in Nordstroms one day. Shelby, my third baby was about 6 months old. She spit out her binky onto the floor and I gave it back to her. The lady lectured me. I rolled my eyes and said, ‘well, she is my third child and I have not killed one yet’.
I say……’WHATEVER’. LOL
🙂
Let me recomend the book to you “confessions of a slacker mom” by muffy mead-ferro . . it has great perspective.
I would visit your blog when you were pregnant with your little girl then I kind of slacked off, but an article in Wonder Time reminded me of you. It dealt with differing parenting styles in France to USA. I found it so interesting, and one thing they mentioned was how the french don’t feed their babies “chunky” food or finger food till way later . . .
Well, your girl looks wonderful!
Blessings
Seriously Jen…thank you for writing this post. I think every mother every where has been:gasped at, looked at with horror, snubbed, and disrespectfully talked to by another mother who thought she actually has her crap together. What I have realized over the years…is that THOSE mothers who feel they need to make “IMPORTANT” suggestions with the way we parent, are those who have the most guilt and anger with the way that they have actually been parenting. If you can think of it that way…it’s easier to swallow when a little miss “know it all” mom feels like she has the right to say anything about your parenting…Unless your child is malnurished or has a couple black eyes and broken teeth, I say “Get a life people!”
Yes you are WT and you are fabulous! WT is really just a word for not being “perfect” and who wants to be perfect??? You have it right on and welcome to the White trash mom club—-we are taking over the playgrounds and PTA one mom at a time….