Oh, boy!

Hubby emailed me an article this morning, figuring it would be great fodder for a rant or an apoplectic attack. He was right. There aren't alot of things that induce me to rage, or even the bewildered WTF state, but parenting is something I feel very strongly about.

For those with a morbid sense of curiousity, the link is here.

There are far too many parents out there who feel that they are right and that gives them the authority to tell other parents that they are wrong. Every parent thinks they are right. They wouldn't be raising their children in a particular way if they thought it wasn't the best way for them to raise their children. Who in their right mind takes upon themselves a task and purposely does it wrong?

Does the brand and style of stroller really matter in the raising of a child? Are my children going to have to go through therapy because they didn't get to ride in a Bugaboo stroller? Am I being environmentally irresponsible because I have more than two children? Do I feel threatened because I am a stay at home parent and not everyone agrees with what I do?

Actually, sometimes I do feel judged, not for being a stay at home mom, but for being the wrong kind of stay at home mom. I didn't have the big career, high earning potential kind of life before children. I'm not sacrificing my career, my life, for my children. (Well, in a way I do sacrifice my life for my children since they are first and foremost in my thoughts)

Certain things aside (like the whole nanny/daycare, ivy league preschools and beauty pagents) I strongly feel that parents should give advice when specifically asked and use words like "this worked for me" or "I've found that". There are no difinitives when raising children. There are way too many factors to take into consideration.

Personality, temperament, sleep and eating patterns, how the child deals with stress or change. The way we discipline the Boy is different than how Boy2 is disciplined, and I'm sure the Girl will prove different still.

The whole money issue boggles my mind as well. We make a certain amount of money. My parents made less than we do and they raised six children on it. There is no correlation between the money made and happiness in a child's life. If anything, I think too much money creates more feelings of entitlement and fewer feelings of respect and gratitude. Yes, every parent wants to give their children the world, but hearing "no" is good for the character.

I'm not saying it's bad to have money, just that constantly giving and not holding kids accountable spoils.

More later. I need to parent my children.