Pettiest parenting pet peeves?

[Tucancrossing]

What's the pettiest thing that annoys you about other parents? Something that you know is so pathetic to care about but it really grinds your gears?

Mine is probably when people say they're doing 'a bit of traditional weaning and a bit of baby led weaning' - you can't half do BLW... traditional weaning is purees AND finger foods, BLW is your child ALWAYS feeding themselves regular food.

So petty, I wish I could let go of it, but I internally eye roll every time.

Give me a parent with an "eh, I tried this and that" approach any day.

@MindyStClaire that parent is me 😂

Snowflake parents, scared to let their kids play out or go in the woods "in case they get dirty" or "fall in the mud". It's called BEING A CHILD ffs!

@Letsallscreamatthesistene you’re right. It’s a stranger on a forum. It’s just hard as I try and keep my parenting choices to myself but I’m constantly being bombarded from everyone about how you should put babies in their own room/let them cry/etc etc and it’s so waring I just want to tell everyone to fuck off - my child, my choice. I don’t judge anyone else so what the hell gives them the right to judge me?!

But you’re right - just let it go! Thanks x

I have a 3 month old and we went for a meal with our friends and their baby who is 14 months.
He was getting bored at the table and they pulled a top of the range apple iPad out for him to keep him quiet. I get we are in a technological era but really!? He's still a baby!!
Surely a couple of rattles are lighter to carry or even just a bit of interaction from mom or dad would help their social skills further down the line...

@TinyTear

message withdrawn

and

I am not saying it's an easy life, yes abortion is necessary at times but what you do not do is pretend to the wider group it was a miscarriage when there are people going through recurrent miscarriages who CANT HELP IT

What nasty posts @TinyTear.

Women presumably say it was a miscarriage to you to avoid judgemental shit like this if they say it's an abortion.

I had an abortion. I sometimes say we lost our first child if I don't want to get in to a discussion. I even refer to it as a late loss. Does that make me even worse in your eyes?

Do you know what? I really don't give a shit if there are people who "can't help having miscarriages" listening to me. I can refer to it in any way I like.

@MrsW150917

I have a 3 month old and we went for a meal with our friends and their baby who is 14 months. He was getting bored at the table and they pulled a top of the range apple iPad out for him to keep him quiet. I get we are in a technological era but really!? He's still a baby!! Surely a couple of rattles are lighter to carry or even just a bit of interaction from mom or dad would help their social skills further down the line...

As much as I don't like resorting to technology honestly in that situation I probably would have done the same. By 14 months a rattle probably won't cut it and you know if parental interaction is likely to work or not given their mood.

If the choice was to make everyone else suffer listening to him get more and more restless or letting him watch an episode of hey Duggee or some dancing fruit I would have used the IPad too.

@MrsW150917

I have a 3 month old and we went for a meal with our friends and their baby who is 14 months. He was getting bored at the table and they pulled a top of the range apple iPad out for him to keep him quiet. I get we are in a technological era but really!? He's still a baby!! Surely a couple of rattles are lighter to carry or even just a bit of interaction from mom or dad would help their social skills further down the line...

I doubt a rattle would interest a 14 month old

I don't judge on tech. Whatever gets you through.

@Ozanj are there any stats/studies etc about the link between weaning method and choking? Not goading, genuinely interested.

@Orangeinmybluelightcup

I keep bumping into this whole 'mum of boys' thing on social media, hashtag, memes, movement, whatever its called. I've just seen one with girls having a lovely picnic vs boys in a scene from jurassic park. Really irritates me. My girl has has been way harder than my boy so far. But it's just because she's an awkward sod, nothing to do with gender! Plus she's like a walking encyclopaedia of dinosaur knowledge.

Yeah totally...my 3 boys are like little deers compared to their rambunctious little sister. It is so the opposite to the mum of boys thing in our house. Makes me eye roll every time it gets wheeled out.

@AriadnetheSpider

Not sure it’s petty, but I can’t stand it when I see parents allowing their kids to behave abominably in public - shouting, screaming, making an unholy mess in a restaurant, dropping litter ect. Drives me insane. If you as parents can’t teach them any respect they’re just going to be dragged up sideways and stay completely feral.

Most petty things are probably “gentle hands” (urgh) and that REALLY irritating, descriptive cutesy language used to describe baby/kid’s food (yummy, squishy, melty, dippy eggs- aaaargh!). It’s just so twee. Food companies are forever putting such crap on packaging too. Nothing wrong with it of course but it irritates the bejesus out of me.

I'm afraid my son with ADHD was feral until he was about 7. He couldn't help it. I didn't know how to help him. Now the only time he's not feral is when he's medicated.

Parent who dress their children completely inappropriately and in ways which stop them from being kids. Like the birthday party I went to where a 4 year old was brought in a Moschino branded dress and then her mother hovered over her the whole time making sure she didn't get it dirty. Or the memorable time I saw a toddler at soft play in a tight maxi dress (didn't even know such things were made for small children!) and she couldn't climb in it. I felt so bad for her. Lots of boys round here who are dressed in ridiculously expensive trainers that aren't supposed to get scuffed or creased at all. God forbid the kids are allowed dungarees, a character t shirt and some play shoes

#makingmemories
#blessed
#toddlerlife
#bestboy

etc etc

Surely a couple of rattles are lighter to carry or even just a bit of interaction from mom or dad would help their social skills further down the line...

Mom and dad were out for lunch with their friends and probably wanted a break from inane chat with their 14 month old.

I can't bear scooting toddlers and young kids. They come careering towards me while their smug parent smiles at them indulgently. They never say thank you or sorry to me and in fact looked pissed off if I don't smile at their cute little offspring. I often have dogs, my own child and a dodgy knee to contend with and its fucking annoying that they just boulder towards me.

It's even worse when the parent is scooting behind them on a stupid fucking grown up scooter and expects me just to move out of the way even though we are all on the fucking pavement.

(I really feel strongly about this...).

I had a mum of an older child say to me "OMG having a baby in Covid must have been wonderful, I'm jealous. You're so lucky!"....

ER...NO!!! NO IT BLOODY WASNT!!!!!

before I was a parent I remember hating 2 things I used to see a lot:

• kids who throw tantrums at the till to get some sweets being given said sweets
• dummies in the mouths of young kids (but not toddlers). the ones who take out the dummy talk then put it back.

both things still irritate me a lot

(I vowed to never do/allow either.
and managed!)

When dd was a baby it was the simpering looks because i bottle fed and the ridiculous comments made by the breastfeeding mums at the weight clinic about how disgusting it was that they allowed formula feeding at the centre. Used to massively boil my piss, I may have on one occasion given one such arsehole a piece of my mind (the HV gave me a hug and said she had wanted to slap them for weeks)

I also really hate it when parents cannot discipline their kids. There is nothing wrong with a stern 'not if a child is repeatedly hitting me and is over the age of 3 so more than capable of understanding. Do not sit their in a pathetic wimpy simpering voice telling them that "mummy wumsy really doesn't like it when you do that" I am all for age appropriate explanations about kind hands etc, but honestly some people dsis are impossible to be around.

Parents of newborns advising parents of toddlers about how to help baby sleep / how to parent generally.

playing Mr or Mrs Fix It and giving advice when I just want to vent

my mum is queen at this.
I now have to add a disclaimer to the beginning of the conversation, saying "mum, I just want to whinge, not looking for a solution, can you take that?" so she doesn't try to sort it.🤣

honestly, sometimes a good rant is all the soul needs. it's like a good mental clean-out. maybe nothing will improve, or at least not immediately, but hearing "yeah, that's crap, I understand you are upset" is all we want to hear to feel normal and less isolated.

just listening is one of the best gifts we can give to anyone. we don't have to fix it, we just have to be there

@MrsW150917

I have a 3 month old and we went for a meal with our friends and their baby who is 14 months. He was getting bored at the table and they pulled a top of the range apple iPad out for him to keep him quiet. I get we are in a technological era but really!? He's still a baby!! Surely a couple of rattles are lighter to carry or even just a bit of interaction from mom or dad would help their social skills further down the line...

Hahahahahshahsh just you wait!!! JUST you waaaiiiiitttttt

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba

playing Mr or Mrs Fix It and giving advice when I just want to vent

my mum is queen at this.
I now have to add a disclaimer to the beginning of the conversation, saying "mum, I just want to whinge, not looking for a solution, can you take that?" so she doesn't try to sort it.🤣

honestly, sometimes a good rant is all the soul needs. it's like a good mental clean-out. maybe nothing will improve, or at least not immediately, but hearing "yeah, that's crap, I understand you are upset" is all we want to hear to feel normal and less isolated.

just listening is one of the best gifts we can give to anyone. we don't have to fix it, we just have to be there

Yeah... I have a friend like you. Uses me as a venting platform and doesn't make a single effort to understand that she's the main cause of most of her problems. Fucking draining

@MrsW150917

is the 3m old your 1st one by any chance?

I second the suggestion of just you wait🤣

[quote ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba]@MrsW150917

is the 3m old your 1st one by any chance?

I second the suggestion of just you wait🤣[/quote]
I third it In a nice way, you have no idea!

When my toddler is having a tantrum and another parent tries to stop them from having it.

Internally I feel like saying please fuck off, he just needs to go through the motions, and then he'll be fine.

@updownroundandround

The eternal one up-man-ship, regardless of the actual topic..............

If my baby got their 1st tooth at 4 mths, then their baby got their 1st tooth at 2 mths !

Gets on my wick every......single.............time ! because it never ends ffs !

My kids are now adults, and it's still a bloody 'competition' to some people I know i.e If my DD got into Uni, their DD got into a better one !

Will it never end ????

Argh. Hate this one too. My standard response

‘That’s nice, mine did it when he was ready not when he was push to’