Normally i love Frank Bruni, but i wasn't sure how i felt about this op-ed piece.
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This annoyed me. Not because I believe thàt childless people can't talk about parenting - it's ridiculous to think my childless friends don't have a wonderful perspective to offer - but rather because I am annoyed with the "hey, relax!" advice. I think what he sees as uptight parents are really grown-ups, making choices that feel right for their family. I think that's what grown-ups do. What they've pretty much always done- although once upon a time most men weren't so closely involved in the day to day choices that needed to be made to raise a family and run a household.
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I think there's a lot the author doesn't understand about parenting. He treated all of parenting the same, regardless of the child's age. He treated the situations children encountered in his generation the same as they do now and I don't believe they are, because the world is different! Of course our peers didn't have iphones at 13; they didn't even exist! Giving children choices is important to me, although it doesn't always have to be "what do you want to wear?" but "do you want to wear a or b?"
The bottom line is that parenting is complicated. I'll do what I feel is right for my LO regardless of what childless bystanders think!
And while I'm at it... I think it's easy before one has kids (or even after sometimes) to look at kids misbehaving and think "why didn't the parent..." but they are KIDS. They are LEARNING, and we are TEACHING. The process is sloppy! If you're not game for these interactions...don't have kids.
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I only read the first page. He annoyed me. Sure he can have an opinion, but IMO, he has no idea what the hell he's talking about!
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ha, I'm with him on a few things. The 'gold star for everything' drives me bonkers. And "all of them ate too many chicken fingers" lol.
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I just laugh, mostly remembering how judgey I used to be. But now I see that it's impossible to know how you'd do it until you're doing it. And things that look stupid to outsiders make a lot of sense when you're in it.
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