ABM feeding (non-medical reasons, not educated, didn't try, yada yada yada)
Baby bucket using/abusing (i.e. swings, strollers, bouncy chairs, etc.)
Bigotry
CIO
Circumcising (non-religious, knowingly, yada yada yada)
Crib using
Disposable diapering
Meat eating
Planned medicated birthing (same as ABM feeding)
Spanking
Vaccinating
**********
Bigotry. That's it. I will not tolerate bigotry, or racism at all... but my friends aren't bigots. I mean, I wouldn't be friends with them if they were, kwim?
The other things can all be dealt with. I'd much rather educate a friend through my own actions than stop talking to them because they really think their child is going to die if they don't get vaccinated, or because they think cloth diapers are archaic and obsolete, or because they think their child will never sleep alone unless they use a crib from day one. Personally, I think anyone who gets high and mighty about such things is fairly bigotted in that respect, and once again, I don't stay friends with bigots.
It would be another thing entirely if they were berating me for my choices; if a friend of mine said "OMG, you're gonna make him so weird if you don't wean him soon!" or "You'll feel sorry when your kid dies from the measles!" or "You couldn't pay me enough to use cloth diapers!" and then refused to listen to my rationale, I'd be hard pressed to remain friends with them. In fact, I recently became more distanced from two old friends because I told them that I'm planning to homeschool, and they think that I'm crazy ("You're not a teacher, kids need to go to school to learn how to read and socialize"). I tried to explain to each of them, and got different but equally negative responses. At that point, I realized that they just didn't want to hear a reason so I stopped talking. I haven't spoken to either of them since; neither has made any attempt to contact me.
No big loss in either case, really.
In truth, it doesn't happen to me that often. Most of my friends know me as "the girl with all the answers". I'm the person to ask when you don't know something or can't remember what that acronym stands for, so when they see me doing "alternative" things in my parenting, they're much more inclined to ask me why I'm doing it than to say "You're insane and totally wrong". Most of my friends don't have children yet, but when they do I'll still be the one with all the answers. So it's all good!
Baby bucket using/abusing (i.e. swings, strollers, bouncy chairs, etc.)
Bigotry
CIO
Circumcising (non-religious, knowingly, yada yada yada)
Crib using
Disposable diapering
Meat eating
Planned medicated birthing (same as ABM feeding)
Spanking
Vaccinating
**********
Bigotry. That's it. I will not tolerate bigotry, or racism at all... but my friends aren't bigots. I mean, I wouldn't be friends with them if they were, kwim?
The other things can all be dealt with. I'd much rather educate a friend through my own actions than stop talking to them because they really think their child is going to die if they don't get vaccinated, or because they think cloth diapers are archaic and obsolete, or because they think their child will never sleep alone unless they use a crib from day one. Personally, I think anyone who gets high and mighty about such things is fairly bigotted in that respect, and once again, I don't stay friends with bigots.
It would be another thing entirely if they were berating me for my choices; if a friend of mine said "OMG, you're gonna make him so weird if you don't wean him soon!" or "You'll feel sorry when your kid dies from the measles!" or "You couldn't pay me enough to use cloth diapers!" and then refused to listen to my rationale, I'd be hard pressed to remain friends with them. In fact, I recently became more distanced from two old friends because I told them that I'm planning to homeschool, and they think that I'm crazy ("You're not a teacher, kids need to go to school to learn how to read and socialize"). I tried to explain to each of them, and got different but equally negative responses. At that point, I realized that they just didn't want to hear a reason so I stopped talking. I haven't spoken to either of them since; neither has made any attempt to contact me.
No big loss in either case, really.In truth, it doesn't happen to me that often. Most of my friends know me as "the girl with all the answers". I'm the person to ask when you don't know something or can't remember what that acronym stands for, so when they see me doing "alternative" things in my parenting, they're much more inclined to ask me why I'm doing it than to say "You're insane and totally wrong". Most of my friends don't have children yet, but when they do I'll still be the one with all the answers. So it's all good!
