[goodcents]

GRRRRRRRRRR. I hate this comment/question that seems to pop up everywhere.

Is he a good baby?

No he is a bad, evil, rotten, terrible, bad bad bad baby!!!!!

WTF????

As if even if you did have a colicky baby or a fussy baby it is not a personality trait and certainly doesn't make the precious little babies bad!!

 

[artgirl]

I agree. Babies are pure goodness as far as I'm concerned, no matter how much they cry, how little the sleep or how often they spit up.

 

[desertpenguin]

I agree, it's a stupid question. I think mostly it has to do with people don't really know what else to say/ask other than that and how old is s/he , does s/he sleep through the night, etc etc.
You could alway say that your child is devil spawn just for kicks and see how they react?! :LOL Sometimes when people ask me I tell them there's no such thing as a "bad baby".

 

[goodcents]

I say the same thing Desert Penguin - along the lines of "Do you know any bad babies." and of course the reply is "No, but you know what I mean...."

And yes artgirl it is about small talk. But the semantics of it bother me and I think it is something people should take care about. I think it is a phrase of a left over era prior to AP and the time of "children should be seen and not heard"

Still......ick!!

 

[Camellia]

It is annoying question and it seems like its usually women in their 70's and older that ask that. At least in my experience. I just reply "Of course" (in a tone that that implies that all babies are good).

 

[alybeans]

This drives me nuts!!! I hate it when people tell me Aly's a good baby! If she was fussy what would she be then- rotten?? I usually respond with, all babies are good babies, she's just in a great mood today, but Thanks!

 

[faythe]

I always say "of course she's a good baby, all babies are good!", smile and walk away.

 

[rzberrymom]

Quote:

it seems like its usually women in their 70's and older that ask that. At least in my experience.

I totally agree--my grandmother loves to comment to other relatives about my "big, bad baby." She called twice when DD was fussing, which gave DD the bad baby label. The fact that she was 9 1/2 lbs. at birth apparently makes her a big bad baby.

 

[broodymama]

Whenever I get asked that I just tell them yep, DS is sneaking out at night, hanging out with the thugs on the street corner and just last week he knocked over a 7-11.

:

 

[AugustineM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyBug & BabyBug Whenever I get asked that I just tell them yep, DS is sneaking out at night, hanging out with the thugs on the street corner and just last week he knocked over a 7-11. :

:LOL :LOL

Great response. I also HATE the "Is he a good baby?" question. I have to refrain from rolling my eyes when people ask this. ALL BABIES ARE GOOD BABIES!!! It is not possible to be a "bad" baby. As a PP said, I respond with, "Oh yes, of course" in a tone that suggests all babies are good.

I have noticed that older people say it, and also people without babies. Many of my friends have made the comment, "He's such a good baby" when they're over at my house, and I just think they've never really thought about the comment. When they have their own baby they will!

 

[Rainbow Brite]

Oh I hate hate hate that comment. A lady asked me once, and I said to her "do you think someone will actually say no?". She didn't respond. Another time she asked (worker at a store) and I just said all babies were good babies.

 

[green betty]

I get asked this Every Single Time I leave the house. It's annoying, but it's a big part of the culture here. I just beam with happy mommyhood and say, "Oh, he's wonderful..." and then go on to explain some of the ways he's wonderful, especially the part where he wakes up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours to feed all night long, which leaves us both refreshed and cheerful in the morning as ebf, side-lying co-sleepers! I see these conversations as an opportunity to connect, educate, and model good manners for ds. (Also when they ask, "Is he a good sleeper?" I say "he sleeps great!" and give the same spiel.)

 

[mandalamama]

same here, i use the opportunity to talk about AP stuff

sometimes i joke, "nahh, she's a bad baby, all the smoking and drinking and sneaking boy babies in at night" which loosens things up. then i just say "all babies are good babies"

then people ask "does she sleep good?" i say yes and tell them it's because we co-sleep.

i've noticed something, maybe other mamas can pitch in on this one ... if i'm wearing Willow in her sling, nobody asks me anything! other than a few "is she comfortable in there?" when she was 3 months or younger. now that she's in the hip carry, some people will say "she looks happy!" because she always smiles at people. but i only get the questions when she's not in the sling. perhaps the sling forms a boundary of sorts?