What do you do when people make you feel like your parenting choices are wrong?

My stepmother makes me feel like everything I am doing for my son is wrong. Such as she think I shouldn't use cloth diapers because 'they are uncomfortable' and 'I -need- to start him on food'. I just smile and turn the other cheek.





What do you do/say when people do this to you?What do you do when people make you feel like your parenting choices are wrong?
luckily everyone knows me well enough to know not to....LOLWhat do you do when people make you feel like your parenting choices are wrong?
The people I know, know not to tell me how to raise my child, unless I ask for advice. Now on the other hand, we can be at the DR office, grocery shopping, etc. and strangers will start a convo with me about my child and their child. When I say something that they don't agree with, I just say well that's the way i'm doing it, and end the conversation. It really makes me mad when people tell me what and how I should do things when it comes to my daughter. I don't take the things offensive, but I just DO NOT like people criticizing my parenting skills.
I do the same. Both my parents, my sister and husband all criticize me on my parenting. I just have to brush it off. Occasionally I lash out on my husband but its different with him because he is the parent also. But it makes me roll my eyes when my parents do it, but when my sis does it... I get Piszed because she is not even a parent herself! But regardless who does it, I usually just agree, say ';I know'; and move on with my day. Its always different when you are not the one if the drivers seat.
If people have an issue with something I do as a parent I just tell them when they have children (or when they had children) they can make all the decisions they like for THEIR children... and ask them to respect my decisions for MY children. My mother hounded me about not giving him solids and only breastfeeding for the first 6 months. I knew it was best.. he already had a cow milk protein allergy. I heard all the time little things about solid foods or messages on my facebook like ';Only 2 weeks till you eat little man!! HOW EXCITING! FINALLY!';.. I deleted them. At 5 months he was over 20 pounds and crawling very well, starting to cruise. My mother thought I was starving him cause I only breastfed... that he did not eat. I did not know how much I fed him since I don't bottle-feed and she was just sure he was always hungry. If I was on the phone and he crawled over a toy and it hurt his hand and he cried she would say ';oh! I bet he is crying cause he's hungry!';.. OK.. enough ranting, lol. I had to get it out, you got me started!!! haha. I know how you feel! My son is 11 months and I'm still nursing.. and I will be nursing well past 12 months. I know I'm going to hear another earful! LOL





I think it's always best to politely speak up. Just listening to it people think that they are right and you are wrong. For acquaintances that is fine really, but family members it isn't. If they think this you will never hear the end of it. Your child will be 10 years old and you'll still be hearing what you're doing wrong.
well, im a B!+c#, so, i tell em how it is...


i say ';you know what, i know your intentions are good and all, but im the mom, not u... so u need to back the f*ck off and do ur job.';


but thats just me.


im sure something along those lines would be acceptable.


some people just need to be put in their place and tell them to back off and let u do ur job the way that u see fit.


dont let them walk all over you and tell you waht to do, because then theyll just see you as a pushover and take advantage of that...think about it...


when the baby gets older and youre at a cook out, and you say ';no, you cant have chips and cookies for dinner, youre turned off until you eat you meat and veggies'; then, so-and-so turns around and says ';they can have a couple more, youre only a kid once'; then you say ';nope'; and start to walk away and turn the other cheek...you know what theyll do? hand the junk food to the kid under the table.


believe me...i went thru this before.


only now im not so nice because my mil mistakes my kindness for weakness. now i have to be a b!+c# and stick to my guns, even with my own parents.


its hard, it really is. we have the toughest job on earth.


but trust me when i say. stick to what you feel is right. youre the mom. and if you dont, it will just snowball.
I ask them to cite resources for their claims. Everything I do as a parent I can provide reliable resources for, and refute any arguments against it.





Unless, of course, they are arguing just to be an @$$. In that case I stick with ';Well isn't that nice. Pass the bean dip?';
I pretend to listen, but really I have my favorite music going on in my head lol


If someone has some good information for me, I certainly will listen then...but for the nit pickers who think they know everything...well good for them I say.
Sometimes you just have to suck it up. There are many days when I feel like throwing a bucket of water on my mother in law but that would upset my wife.





You also must be clear with your decisions so that she knows that you have thought it through.
Ignore them. They just sound like idiots trying to tell you what do to. My MIL does it all the time and I just roll my eyes at her.
I dont believe you that people say that so hA