Mommy Wars

Le Sigh.

There will always be mommy wars. There will always be something you aren't doing right according to someone else. You can always be better, more perfect - whatever.

I am in a few mommy groups on Facebook and for the most part, they are really helpful. Someone posted a question about when people moved their kids from an infant seat to a convertible seat. There were lots of responses. I even responded which I don't do very often. In my response, I mentioned that we moved Barrett into a convertible at around a year (not because of size, more for comfort) and a while later, turned him around to be forward facing.

A "well meaning" mom responded quickly. "Better for you isn't safer for him" and encouraged me to educate myself on the matter, even posting an article to "give me a good start..."

Le Sigh. Seriously?

First, I did educate myself on the matter. I read, I talked to others, I talked to my pediatrician (who was supportive of turning him around at a year), I thought about it. Then I turned him around. It was the right choice for us. Look, EVERYONE would be safer in a car in the center back facing backwards. In fact, kids would be safer if we just didn't take them in cars anywhere.

I really debated whether to respond. I debated what I would say. I was really tempted to say "Forward facing works well for us and I did so after tons of research, but don't worry, I feed my kid all organic food that I grow myself from seeds I saved from previous harvests, I hunt my own organic pasture raised hormone free meat, I hover over my child all night long to ensure he doesn't flip to his tummy and to be sure he is breathing, I fully childproofed my house removing all objects he could possibly climb on or fall from including the couches, chairs and all wires, we only buy products made in the USA that are certified organic, fair trade, chemical free, all his clothing is made of organic cotton..."but then I did't figure the mom that made the comment would know that I was trying to be funny because she doesn't know me and my personality.

Look - we are all doing the best we can. We all make choices. If I were to take into account all the safety recommendations that are out there, I would go CRAZY trying to keep up with them all. Just like I pick my battles with Barrett and his habits/behavior, I also pick my battles with my parenting methods and what is important/not important. It's silly to think that my methods are better or worse than the next persons.

The idea that I would have just turned him around willy nilly without knowing anything about it is just silly. I don't need to "educate" myself, I need you to understand that I did "educate" myself and ultimately made a decision that made the most sense for my family.

Le Sigh. When are us mom's just going to learn to leave each other alone and realize we are all on the same side - doing what's best for our kids (or trying to).