I feel like I'm losing it sometimes down here. I know to follow my instincts with parenting, and ive learned the hard way about letting mainstream parents influence the way i do things with my boys, but we are NEVER around AP/NFL families anymore.
I rarely get to make it out of the house with my boys (which is fine, we're all definitely homebodies). We have great neighbors and great friends from church, but NONE of them even closely relate to our parenting style... (Extended breastfeeding, cosleeping, gentle discipline etc). That would be fine if they could respect the differences (as I do, and would NEVER offer unsolicited advice, much less criticism of their choices, even though im TOTALLY against a lot of the things they do) It's just really put a strain on all of our relationships with the families we see regularly. I always just bite my tongue about such conflicts and limit time with them afterwards, but that leaves us totally secluded a lot of the time!
I know there are like-minded moms around here, i just need to connect with them. most of the ap parents i know IRL are in nashville or have moved away from here. I just need to get back into a circle of people who understand where I'm coming from as a mother and wont look down on me daily for doing things differently. I'm so sick of hearing how im spoiling my baby or how i need to spank my almost 4yo. i have found myself at mdc a lot more lately (i was without internet for almost a year) and even reading through the old threads helps me remember that im not alone and that there are other (BETTER) ways than traditional parenting. I'd just rather get those influences from real life rather than on the computer... not to mention that my boys need what *I* consider normal playmates... my kids used to get really upset when they were around other parents yelling and spanking (another reason we try to limit interactions) but now it doesnt even phase them... i just hate it! plus theyre picking up on sneaky little behaviors and a lot of other BAD habits from these kids... stuff that I NEVER see AP kids doing! please tell me I'm not alone down here!
I try to make it to API in nashville every month, but ive actually gotten there like once in the last 2 years. its just impossible for us to get very far from our house for very long....
I rarely get to make it out of the house with my boys (which is fine, we're all definitely homebodies). We have great neighbors and great friends from church, but NONE of them even closely relate to our parenting style... (Extended breastfeeding, cosleeping, gentle discipline etc). That would be fine if they could respect the differences (as I do, and would NEVER offer unsolicited advice, much less criticism of their choices, even though im TOTALLY against a lot of the things they do) It's just really put a strain on all of our relationships with the families we see regularly. I always just bite my tongue about such conflicts and limit time with them afterwards, but that leaves us totally secluded a lot of the time!
I know there are like-minded moms around here, i just need to connect with them. most of the ap parents i know IRL are in nashville or have moved away from here. I just need to get back into a circle of people who understand where I'm coming from as a mother and wont look down on me daily for doing things differently. I'm so sick of hearing how im spoiling my baby or how i need to spank my almost 4yo. i have found myself at mdc a lot more lately (i was without internet for almost a year) and even reading through the old threads helps me remember that im not alone and that there are other (BETTER) ways than traditional parenting. I'd just rather get those influences from real life rather than on the computer... not to mention that my boys need what *I* consider normal playmates... my kids used to get really upset when they were around other parents yelling and spanking (another reason we try to limit interactions) but now it doesnt even phase them... i just hate it! plus theyre picking up on sneaky little behaviors and a lot of other BAD habits from these kids... stuff that I NEVER see AP kids doing! please tell me I'm not alone down here!
I try to make it to API in nashville every month, but ive actually gotten there like once in the last 2 years. its just impossible for us to get very far from our house for very long....
