Thursday, March 28, 2013

Thursday Thoughts


Thursday Thoughts

Today I'm linking up with Jennifer again for Thursday Thoughts. I guess I really have one thought/rant but here goes:

For a while now I've been trying to write a post about motherhood about how hard it is. Every few days I go back and reread and change it depending on my mood. This morning I had an experience that allowed me to finish it.

My son and I went to the grocery store to get a few things I need for this afternoon. As we went down the baby aisle (might as well get some more puffs while I'm there), I see two moms in the aisle having a conversation. When I get closer I can hear what they are talking about. These two women were talking horribly about another mother's decision to start giving her son formula at night! This really bothered me and got me to wondering why more mom's can't be supportive of each other. I chose to breast fed my son, not because I felt it makes me superior than formula feeding mothers but because it was the right choice for us. If formula is the right choice for you and your baby then that's what you should do. I was a formula fed baby and I turned out just fine in my opinion. Breast feeding is hard and takes a lot of time. If I had gone back to work I don't know if I would have been able to stick with it. It is definitely not the right choice for everyone. I would never talk bad about someone who made a different decision.  The same thing plays out on a mommy message board I'm apart of with various topics. I see mom's all the time giving others a hard time about their choices concerning food, sleep, diapering, ect. I give my son some of our food, I make some of his food, and I buy some of his food. It really depends on what we're/he's eating. I hate green beans but that doesn't mean he shouldn't have them. So I buy the little Gerber packages of them. When we travel, it is so much easier. This is horrible according to certain moms and just fine according to others. It leads to judgement on both sides. Again, we are all trying to do what is best for our baby and us in our current situation. I use disposable diapers because that is what works best for us. If you are willing to do cloth diapers, good for you. You are doing a great thing for the environment but it is not right for all of us. It is not right for many people for various reasons and should not be a reason for you to put another mom down. The endless debates over cry it out vs not seem to come up all the time. I can't listen to my little guy cry too much so cry it out is not right for me. Luckily, he sleeps pretty well so we didn't have to deal with that. For other people it is the right decision. We all are better parents on a good nights sleep. Who am I to judge anyone for how they get there??

I guess my point is that we all are just trying to do what's best for our children in our own unique situation. We, mothers, should support each other without judgement as best as we can. Motherhood is hard. Babies don't come with a manual and none of us are the supermoms Pinterest and other social media try to make us. It is just not possible. One of the reasons I started my blog was to connect with other mothers and get advice/support. There are a lot of those people out there and I am grateful. For those who aren't, consider how much better it would be if we all gave it a try?

4 comments:

  1. Who are these moms?? I'd like to have a word with them! I didn't / don't nurse and no one has ever made me feel bad about it. Or maybe I just don't let them!

    Thanks for linking up!

    Ramblings of a Suburban Mom

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    1. I have no idea! I think some people just get a kick out of feeling superior.

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  2. Nursing is such a hot topic these days. I nursed both my kids, but ended up drying up when going back to work. I'm a pharmacist also and I couldn't really make a set schedule to consistently pump.

    I don't feel the need to judge other people because they don't nurse because I know how hard it is and its not for everyone.

    stopping by from the link up.

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    1. I can understand your situation. I feel it would have been the same for me if I'd gone back to work. I just couldn't face 13 hour shifts with a little guy at home. I felt I would never see him and I know with CVS I wouldn't have been able to have a pumping schedule. I'm grateful I have been able to stay home but I would love to go back part time if I could find somewhere.

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