Everyone is entitled to their opinion...

We just got home from Target and I had my first experience with a complete stranger that thought she needed to share with me her unsolicited opinion.  I knew it was coming. Everyone that is pregnant or that has a new baby is subject to mounds of advice, stories, and opinions whether they like it or not.  Somehow this still bothered me.

(Let me preface this by saying that I have turned into a complete "germaphobe" and the fact that she was riding in the shopping cart without the cover was driving me insane!)


So yes, Ellie was in fact sitting up in the shopping cart without her cover.  Keep in mind she is almost EIGHT MONTHS OLD and has been sitting up on her own for quite a while now.  Her infant carrier weighs at least 20 pounds and she was 19 lbs. 13 oz. last week at the doctor.  That means for me to carry her into the store, I would be lugging around 40 pounds of baby and car seat!  Even my big and strong football coach husband admits regularly how heavy that thing is.  So I have recently been sitting her in shopping carts and restaurant high chairs if we are out.  She is big enough.  She is sitting up.  It's time!

So anyway, as I walked up to the check out line a lady came up to me and said: "I just really hate to see babies that small sitting up in a shopping cart.  I just really hate that."

Ummmm, Hello??  Did I ask you how you felt about me putting my child in a shopping cart?  NOOOO!!!

But then after she managed to sort of insult me and my shopping methods, she must have felt bad because she followed all of it with "but she's beautiful".  Gee, thanks lady.  Way to make yourself feel better.  I was dumbfounded.  I am not good with comebacks so all I managed to say was "well she's almost 8 months old" (as in, she's really not that little anymore!).

Why did she feel like she had to share that with me?  I was already worried enough about her little hands rubbing all over the cart even though I had thoroughly wiped down the entire thing before I put her in it.  Thanks for making me even more self conscious about my decisions as a parent.

So I guess I am just venting a little bit and I don't want to forget that this little incident occurred.   I am already constantly worrying about Ellie and if I am doing the best job I can as a mother. I seem to second guess every move I make all because I want is what's best for her.  If I wanted to sit at home all day everyday and go crazy, I would.  But I won't.  We will go to Target and she might get germy but that's life and I will try to do all I can to protect her from as much as I can.  Every parent does things a little differently and has their own outlook on things, but in the end we all want what is best.

So yes, we are all entitled to our opinions... but sometimes it's best to keep them to yourself!!!

That's all for today...happier posts coming soon!!!