Critical family

[noidentity]

I have a 7 month old and I feel like I have very critical family - on both sides and I'm constantly receiving unwanted advice? How do you manage it? I'm a people pleaser and it's grinding me down 😫

If you don’t agree with the particular feedback, then politely turn it around.

For example- “oh I wouldn’t give her a dummy, it doesn’t do their teeth any good, you should stop giving it to her”

“I know what you mean but I find it helps her to settle at night so I wouldn’t take it away”

Something polite but telling them your way.

Sometimes people have good advice so take the good and politely turn down the bad.

Just nod to listen and acknowledge- the odd "oh right" thrown in for good measure. Then carry on as normal.

'Hmmm'.

At this stage, don't respond more than that. Change the subject. Don't bother trying to.justify or explain or debate.

The unwanted opinions will likely continue but you need to protect yourself. After a few incidences early on in DC life I vowed that I would not act in a way that I felt was not in their best interest just to please someone else. I am also a people pleaser so parenthood has been a steep learning curve for me developing a thick skin and sticking by my decisions.