i agree with sapphirechan, and if it's not this it's going to be something else (maybe the age at which to stop co-sleeping, or to start sleeping over a friends house or the age to wean or whatever). you need to assert that it is *your* choice to make, regardless of what she thinks of it. period.
i personally do not let anyone question my parenting in front of my children. period. it's utterly disrespectful not to mention concerning and confusing to my children. and i would just flat-out say "it is not appropriate to question my ability to parent in front of my child. if you'd care to have a rational and informed discussion about this while she's napping, i'd be glad to get some books out and we can chat then. otherwise i'd appreciate it if you kept your comments to yourself. please pass the bean dip."
my mom is probably my best friend in the whole world. and she thought EC was crazy at first too. she's a developmental psychologist, and everything she'd ever been taught insisted that babies don't have the physical or mental ability to do what we know EC'd babies do. so she was understandably skeptical. i had her read Ingrid Bauer's book, and she was totally intrigued. and now 4 grandkids later (my SIL just graduated her first child, after my 3 have been successfully EC'd) and she is a total believer. she even mentions it in her developmental psychology classes when she teaches about infant development! many, many people who thought i was nuts are believers in EC now that they seen it in action.
i also *totally* agree with marija-jane. some of the most vehement and disrespectful reactions I have ever received regarding EC have been from the otherwise crunchiest moms. people are always saying insulting things like the only reason to EC is to try and win some crunchy mom of the year award ... belittling any benefit to the choice because it's one they didn't make, though they'd be horrified if someone said that about any of the crunchy parenting choices they themselves have made which of course are always well researched and informed.
: i try not to let it upset me anymore, it used to really, really get me down, i can't quite get why people can only feel good about their choices by belitting the choices of others.
i personally do not let anyone question my parenting in front of my children. period. it's utterly disrespectful not to mention concerning and confusing to my children. and i would just flat-out say "it is not appropriate to question my ability to parent in front of my child. if you'd care to have a rational and informed discussion about this while she's napping, i'd be glad to get some books out and we can chat then. otherwise i'd appreciate it if you kept your comments to yourself. please pass the bean dip."
my mom is probably my best friend in the whole world. and she thought EC was crazy at first too. she's a developmental psychologist, and everything she'd ever been taught insisted that babies don't have the physical or mental ability to do what we know EC'd babies do. so she was understandably skeptical. i had her read Ingrid Bauer's book, and she was totally intrigued. and now 4 grandkids later (my SIL just graduated her first child, after my 3 have been successfully EC'd) and she is a total believer. she even mentions it in her developmental psychology classes when she teaches about infant development! many, many people who thought i was nuts are believers in EC now that they seen it in action.
i also *totally* agree with marija-jane. some of the most vehement and disrespectful reactions I have ever received regarding EC have been from the otherwise crunchiest moms. people are always saying insulting things like the only reason to EC is to try and win some crunchy mom of the year award ... belittling any benefit to the choice because it's one they didn't make, though they'd be horrified if someone said that about any of the crunchy parenting choices they themselves have made which of course are always well researched and informed.
: i try not to let it upset me anymore, it used to really, really get me down, i can't quite get why people can only feel good about their choices by belitting the choices of others.
Now that she's not thinking of how to lecture you about it, she can watch it in action properly and actually involve her brain.
