Another challenge on the Blog dare, ‘the worst advice my mother/a mother ever gave me.” Those are fighting words right there! I can’t honestly say that my mom has ever given me bad advice. I can however say she has given me advice that is not appropriate in this day and age or even for me. Let’s just leave it at that because mostly it’s good stuff I get from her. As far as other mothers go, well same kind of thing. Any unsolicited advice usually doesn’t fair well on my scale, I wouldn’t exactly consider it bad. I have had lots of bad advice in the way of ” Well this worked for me you should try it!” I have had people tell me I should threaten to hit my kids with a wooden spoon to get them to go to sleep, make them eat hot pepper sauce if they say something fresh, let them do whatever they want and they’ll eventually work it out themselves. None of these things will ever be part of my parenting routine.
I have rules and I expect them to be followed. I do not want my children to be afraid of me nor do I want them to think that there are no consequences to their actions. I kind of parent in between. My children know when I am displeased, but not because I hit or threaten to hit or for that part do anything that would cause them harm. They are my tiny adults. Now I’m not going to get into how I parent that’s not what this post is about. It’s about awful advice. By far the most terrible advice I’ve received is from non parents. With no knowledge of what it is actually like living with a child or children 24/7 they tell you some crap that a friend of theirs does or that they saw on the Dr. Phil show. As if any of those are things they have actually been through, so single friends take note, ” Keep your traps shut!”
Parenting is hard enough without someone trying to tell you how to do it “right”. Here is some unsolicited advice you don’t want from me, ” Listen to everyone. Take what you can use and discard the rest. You’ll learn so much about yourself and your parenting style this way.” I promise you that much. I’ve learned a lot by listening to the crazies! (Even if it’s only what you don’t want to do, it’s something.)