What is the worst/dumbest thing anyone has ever said to you about parenting stuff? - Page 4

[velveeta]

Shame on DaryLLL - I peed a little bit when I read your twin stories!

I am just laughing so hard right now (but, I *have* taken a bathroom break!).

Two people in my office have asked me whether this pregnancy was planned. Charming. And I love when they ask me (just like this): "you're not going to do it all-naturally, are you?" No, we are planning an unnatural birth. : What does that even *mean*?

And I was going to remark that if I had seen veganmamma bfing at church on Christmas, I would have thought, "Oh! How wonderful and appropriate!"

And, my favorite: "Cloth diapers?! Aren't those unsanitary?"

Jean

[gurumama]

"What do you think Jesus ate?"

I love it veganmama! Great comeback! Hope you get to use it soon!

[morgan's_mom]

Well, I get a lot of the same ones as many of you, and I like to answer in as much detail as possible. Hey, if they're gonna ask for details, I'll give 'em more than they want to know!

1) does she sleep through the night?

I answer the same way one of you described earlier in the thread...I say, "well, no, but we co-sleep, so I never have to get out of bed at night...she is able to latch herself right on and I fall back asleep...it's wonderful...blah blah blah"

This often leads to...

2) oh, so you're still nursing? (dd is 5 mos.)

Me - "Absolutely! And I've got a freezer full of breastmilk if you know anyone who's interested...see, I work full time and I pump, and my daughter is a reverse cycler, which means she only takes a few ounces while I'm gone...so every day, I bring home about 20 oz. but she only takes about 6 oz....so I have a bunch in my freezer. I donate it to adoptive moms!"

Which sometimes leads to...

3) Ewwww...you mean other babies can drink your milk?

Me - "Sure - it's *much* better than formula!"

Which usually ends with...

4) Well, I (or my wife) couldn't breastfeed because [insert reason here].

I also enjoy the comments I get from childless male coworkers:

1) One guy told me that two of the "advantages" of FF'ing (his sister had a baby just after me and never attempted BF'ing) were that his sister knew exactly how many ounces her dd was getting to eat and that she and her dh were able to leave the baby to go out starting when she was a week old. :

2) When I was pregnant, same guy (I really like this guy and we're pretty good friends...I just blame a lot of his comments on being childless and clueless, and I try to educate him!) gave me a 5 minute lecture on how I should get an episiotomy because it would heal much better and make my postpartum sex life better.

And from male coworkers who have kids:

1) When I mentioned that we would be cosleeping (when someone asked), "boy, you are setting yourself up for a life of misery." Oh yes, it is just MISERABLE sleeping cuddled up with my husband and baby!!!

2) "I can't believe you are having your baby in a birthing center. The baby can turn breech while you're on the way to the hospital. That's why lots of women have to have c-sections."

3) Same guy - "My wife had one baby natural (I think he meant vaginally) and one by c-section...she said the c-section was much easier to recover from...that is the way to go."

:

[morgan's_mom]

Oh, and I can't believe I forgot...

This weekend, at a family gathering, dh's aunt was telling us that we need to pierce dd's ears now (5 mos.) instead of "waiting"...her daughter "waited" until her baby was a year old, and she didn't like it at all. She said that the reason we should do it now is because when babies are young, they don't know pain, because the birthing process is so painful for them, but that by the time they are a year old, they know what pain is and the piercing hurts. Oh, and she said they had to get it done because everyone thought the baby was a boy. : : :

I just held my tongue (for once).

[Plaid]

My inlaws have a way of only saying stupid stuff to DH when I'm not present. So he comes home and tells me that we need to get rid of the cats because they would smother the baby. There were so many others, I guess I did a good job of not letting them get to me 'cause I can't remember now! Oh, yeah -- we need to start her on solids so she can learn to chew! She's toothless! And just the other day my FIL told me that water is good for a baby (his two were FF so what does he know). I tried to explain to him that nothing beats breastmilk, but I'm not sure he got it. This is the man who wanted to give her CAKE at two weeks old!

---------------------------
Teresa

[Eosine]

My son's dad told me to give him cheese for diahrea!!! What an idiot!!!! Can anyone say GAS!!

[MysticHealerMom]

my grandma says the same thing. i guess if you want to keep having diarrhea... :

[Eosine]

I can't believe that MysticHealerMom! Where did that ever come from?? My doctor said that was the worst thing ever because you will bloat up with gas and dehydrate even worse! That would be sooo painful!

I only use pedialyte for my kids, but you can mix up something with salt and water if you know the right ratio. Ginger ale isn't too bad, or sports drinks too, but no milk products!! Just plain juice can make it worse too, I tried that once, and almost died from the pain!

Another dumb thing people tell me is not to pick up my kid right away when she cries. She's only 4 mos old! Screw em! She's NOT spoiled! You can't spoil a baby that small! They need to know that they can trust you, count on you and feel loved at this age!

[jenP]

oops.

[jenP]

Ah, the holidays! So many, many stupid remarks! S many perfect comebacks that you only think of later!

Uncle J.: you sleep with the baby? Aren't you afraid of rolling over on her?
Me: No.
Wish I'd said: Considering the thousands of babies that die in cribs in the US every year, shouldn't I be MORE afraid of putting her in a crib?

Grandma: (Holding baby who is whining because she is going through separation anxiety) It's okay for her to cry.
Me: (taking baby back) I'll remember that when you're in a nursing home and are hungry or scared or lonely. It's okay for you to cry!
(maybe a little too harsh, my grandma is really a loving person but just has this bizarre notion that it's okay to let a baby cry when you could just s easily give her what she needs.)

MIL: Maybe when you start giving her solids she'll start putting on weight faster.
Me: No food we can give her has more calories and nutrients than breastmilk.

Aunt M: My grandchildren that were formula fed all gained weight so much better than the breastfed ones.
Me: Yes, breastfed babies are leaner.
Wish I'd said: What's so great about being overweight? OR: Yes, formula grows 'em bigger, but breastmilk grows 'em smarter.

Uncle B: Tell Steve (single BIL) he can get up with the baby tonight.
Me: He wouldn't be much use to her. (meaning because he has no breasts.)
Wish I'd said: That's the beauty of breastfeeding and cosleeping, NONE of us gets up at night.

MIL: Can I give her a biscotti to teeth on?
(She was serious!!!)
Me: No, I don't want to give her any sugar.
Thought to myself but didn't say in order to keep the peace: Are you a COMPLETE idiot?? First of all, she hasn't started on solids at all and you know you are supposed to start one food at a time with a week between, and biscotti have like fifteen ingredients. And you know we are only going to give her vegan food. And the main ingredient is wheat which should be introduced late because it's so often an allergen. AND what kind of moron would give sugar to a six-month-old?

Upon seeing me bf for the second time in one hour...
MIL: Oh, is she having ANOTHER snack?
Aunt M: Tht's what I didn't like about bfing mine. They eat just enough so they aren't hungry and can fall asleep, then they need to eat again before long.
MIL: I'm glad I didn't nurse, it has it's good points but...
Me: Oh, I don't mind, feeding her is usually a welcome mental break from trying to keep her entertained all day long.
Could've said: Hello? I'm sitting here with my feet up watching the game with my uncles and this is supposed to be a bad thing? -or- She always tanks up before bed then sleeps seven hours straight. (okay so it's actually five or six but these people are hung up on sleeping through the night) -or- Isn't that EXACTLY how all the experts tell us to eat? No large meals, just frequent small ones, and eat slowly and just until you aren't hungry, never full or stuffed? -or- I'm so glad I'm giving my baby the best AND nursing releases the same hormones in me that are released with orgasm. (Surely THAT would shut them up!) -or- Yeah, not that I find bfing inconvenient, but God Forbid taking care of a baby should inconvenience you!

WELL! I could go on but it looks as though I already have!
On the bright side, I nursed (very discreetly) with others in the room and didn't get a single comment at all! (sometimes I did nurse in the other room just for the quiet but let them think I was being "modest." Then DH joins me saying he'll "keep me company", and proceeds to channel-surf and fart! thanks hon.)


Veganmama, LOVED the what do you think Jesus ate comment. I so wish you could go back and re-do that moment!

I am so glad we have this forum, it's saving my sanity.

Jen

[padomi]

My Millie as only a few weeks old. It had been a couple hours since her last feed and I could tell she was getting hungry. My mother in law was holding her, so I said several times "I'm gonna need to go feed her soon." Finally when she began crying (and I let down and began leaking), I reached for her and said "I'm gonna feed her now." My mother in law held on to her and replied "Make her work for it dear." I said "Um, no." and grabbed my hungry daughter. Geez.

[thepeanutone]

This thread is hysterical!

First funny: When I was pregnant, I reached up for something at work, and my receptionist (who was TTC her 4th then) said, "Oh, no, don't lift your arms up over your head! You'll strangle the baby!" I HONESTLY thought she was kidding, and I just laughed and laughed and LAUGHED. Then I saw the look on her face and realized she was serious! She's really very nice, but EXTREMELY uneducated. After a lengthy discussion of anatomy, she said, "well, I think I still won't when I'm pregnant, just out of habit."

I was like, okay, but you haven't been pregnant for 13 YEARS, you probably aren't in the habit now!


Second funny: LONG before I was married or even considering kids, when I quit eating meat, my cousin and aunt both told me that I would have to eat meat when I got pregnant, and I would have to feed my kid meat, or else my child would be retarded!

Third (didn't happen to me, but SO FUNNY) - A former co-worker, after 5 years of TTC, got IVF and got pg with tripets. Perfect strangers kept asking if she had gotten fertility treatment. Feeling that was none of their business, she always answered,
"No, we just had sex three times that night!"

[RachelGS]

Somebody actually told me that I would have to watch out or my cats would suck my baby's breath. I wish I'd had any kind of a comeback, but I was so flabbergasted that anyone actually thought that that I just made this face:

Also, my stepson told me that if I didn't let her cry, her lungs wouldn't expand. He's only 13, and clearly heard this from his mother (who has five other kids). I am very careful about speaking kindly about his mom to him, so I wanted to be thoughtful about how I went about telling him what a load of hogwash that is. I very gently said that people used to believe that, but that research shows that it isn't true, and babies cry for the same reasons the rest of us cry. I also asked him to think about how he feels when he cries, and what it would be like if nobody helped him. Now on the rare occasion that Abigail cries, Corbin is the first to run to her.

[TrinitysMama]

My aunt told me the other night that stuff like Hi-C and Capri Sun are actually BETTER for kids than real fruit juice because they are vitamin fortified.

Corn syrup and water with artificial colors and flavors is BETTER than real fruit juice!?!?! :

[padomi]

My mother told me the "best" thing I could give my dd while she's teething is Popsicles!!! The best thing? She's never had anything but breastmilk, and I should give her Popsicles?

[*~*SewHappyNow*~*]

Orginally posted by thepeanutone
"Oh, no, don't lift your arms up over your head! You'll strangle the baby!"

I just can't stop thinking about this comment. How does this woman style her hair during her pregnancy?

Let us know if she is successful TTC is her hair gets messier

[TrinitysMama]

RE: The arms over the head thing -

My grandma said the same thing to me when I was pregnant with Lily. I would give her a hard time about it and would dance around her waving my arms over my head. When Lily was born, her cord just happened to be wrapped pretty tightly around her neck twice!

We got a big, "I told you so!" from my Grandma. Errrgh. What do you say to that? To her, it wasn't just a coincidence. I caused it by raising my arms over my head! :

Well, at least she knows I was right when I told her that the cat wouldn't try to kill the baby. It's going to take another pregnancy of dancing around to convince her that *I* didn't get Lily wrapped up with her cord!

[Eosine]

My aunt told me the other night that stuff like Hi-C and Capri Sun are actually BETTER for kids than real fruit juice

That IS the dumbest thing I've ever heard about food!! What do people think are in apples and oranges???

I hate "sunny delight" commercials where they go on about "vitamin fortified"!!! What a load of &#*^@&#* Have you read the ingredients on there? They add oil! Ughgh!!

Doesn't anyone know about folic acid and stuff in REAL oranges and orange juice???

[Foobar]

I hate the "good baby" stuff. I get that all of the time. I like the comeback someone wrote!

I get a lot of crap also for not BF. I actually had a person in the store complain to her mother how "bad" I was to be buying formula for my child and how I was so obviously doing something harmful to my child! This was infront of her 2 year old son. I was so furious. We all make our choices and we should respect other's choices.


My worst BF situation was in the hospital. My poor girl and I had been struggling to nurse. I went to the BF class with her. About half way through, she got hungry and I asked for help because we were having so many troubles. The woman leading the class told me to leave because "this isn't a place for a baby!" I left the room with my screaming daughter and I was sobbing. You would think that she would have been more understanding.

I wish getting pregnant and having a child didn't open everyone up to giving what ever advice they think I should have!

[mama2annabelle]

UNBELIEVABLE!!

I can't belive a breastfeeding class instructor would ask a struggling new mommy to leave the class! I'm sorry you didn't get the support you needed.