Have Coffee with Supermom!

That's one of the junk emails I got today from the Gill Deacon show. Some talk show on CBC, nevermind I don't watch talk shows, but the Supermom label caught me.

I'm starting to get really annoyed with people in general insisting what makes a good parent and what doesn't. I'm pissed off with people who insist on absolutes when it comes with kids and parenting and I'm just tired in general of the whole group of people coming in saying that "this is right, this is wrong, that's impossible, that's unethical, that's because the parents have no life" It's strange because I've been watching/participating in a potty training debate where the discussion is around infant potty training. I don't have a dog in the fight, since my 14 month old isn't near potty training and I couldn't care a less about holding a three month old over the toitoi and watching every precise movement they make when they're about to pee or poop, but really I'm not going to slam someone because they do care. Anymore than I'm going to slam someone because they don't want to start potty training until their kid is 3. Neither is quite my cup of tea, but I don't get the labelling and silliness about people's choices around their kids. So long as they're not hurting the kids, really is it any of your concern to begin with? Can anyone say authoratively that this is right or wrong, possible or impossible? Unless they've witnessed every single parent at work, I can safely say that they can't.

I guess why it's grating on my nerves so much because whether it's much ado about poo, or the age old breastfeeding, natural birth, attachment parenting whatever debate, it's people going to town on other people's parenting choices. It's annoying, fuck already, you disagree, the kid isn't being hurt, people are doing it for whatever reason and if it works, great, if not, I guess people will have another thing to cluck their tongues about. Because I have been at the opposite ends of other debates and have had people tsk tsk me, I guess ultimately I'm pissed off on behalf of other people who are now in those same sights of those who tsk tsk.

Supermom doesn't exist folks. We all do the best that we can. We make choices based on information, some coming from books, some coming from tv, some coming from that of friends, family and other moms (something that has been systematically devalued since the Inquisition!). If you're sitting from the outside watching in, try to reserve judgement and remember back to the day when you were sitting on the floor wondering what the hell you were going to do with your kid, or know that someday you will be in that position, worried, tired and unsure of what your next step is. Mom's do the best that they can and godwilling, that will be enough.