Pregnancy and parenting brings an automatic connection amongst strangers… which can be a wonderful thing. Before I had kids, I used to wonder about those children dressed in odd looking outfits. Half super hero, a sun hat in January- you know what I’m talking about. I remember thinking, when I have kids they will always look put together. As a parent of a three year old boy, I now salute any parent for just being able to get their kids to put clothes on before leaving the house.
The second I became pregnant my head started filling with questions, worries and anticipation. Somewhere within my second trimester, a woman at work asked me if I was going to sleep train.
SLEEP TRAIN?
Don’t babies know how to sleep eventually on their own? I didn’t know.
But now I was worrying about that too. So, I gave a generic smile and just said “We’ll see.”
I’m pretty sure she kept talking but my eyes had glazed over by that point and I was thinking to myself…”all I can focus on is growing this little person. Isn’t that enough??
I mean I couldn’t have caffeine, alcohol or goat-cheese and now I have to think about SLEEP TRAINING?
Follow that with a trip to the gym when a man approached me and asked if I was having twins.
I wasn’t.
/When I told him no, he pushed back asking if I was sure.
I WAS SURE!
Needless to say, I came home in tears. God bless my husband for knowing just how to deal with the roller coaster of emotions.
Often as moms, we interpret advice as an indication that we are doing something wrong.
Now a mom of two, I think perhaps those strangers offering advice were likely just trying to find a connection. That’s what we all want, right? While I sometimes am caught off guard by the advice I suddenly get as I am standing in line at the grocery store, I am trying to grow to be more accepting of it. When my three year old is having a meltdown and someone offers him candy (Because sugar is exactly what he needs at that point), I don’t have to give it to him. BUT I can appreciate the help without automatically thinking that I am doing something inadequate or wrong.
Ever gotten advice from strangers? Did you follow it?
