Dear Exceptional Moms,
I’m reaching out to express my heartfelt gratitude, truly from my inadequately seasoned little heart. You have shielded my children from my shortcomings, and in doing so, you may have quite literally saved their lives. Had I continued on my misguided parenting journey, well, the thought of the potential consequences is too frightening to contemplate. But thanks to your invaluable input, I can breathe a little easier.
Before you stepped in with your sage advice, I was blissfully unaware of all the ways I was failing as a parent. Remember that day at the park when you noticed me giving my infant a bottle? Your gentle nudge to remind me that “breast is best” was an eye-opener. I thought my little one was thriving; he seemed healthy and content. Little did I know I might have been filling him with harmful substances. Wow.
And that Facebook post you tagged me in about the mom glued to her phone while her kids played? I would have never connected the dots that I was guilty of the very same thing. I mean, who knew my casual scrolling could distract me from watching my kids? What if they stumbled or I missed a precious moment? I can’t believe I ever thought it was okay to check messages while they were playing. How selfish of me!
Had you not raised an eyebrow at the Goldfish crackers I offered during our playdate, schooling me on the virtues of an organic, raw vegan diet, I might have continued to feed my kids a diet of candy and soda, thinking pizza rolls counted as a food group. Your enlightening insights on nutrition have truly changed my perspective.
Screen time? Yikes. I was blissfully unaware that allowing my children to watch two consecutive episodes of their favorite show or spend more than a few minutes on the iPad could be detrimental. Thank you for bringing that to my attention; I shudder to think of my kids lounging around, zombified by screens, living in my basement at 35.
I must also thank you for sharing your impressive parenting milestones, like how your children were potty trained by 16 months, devouring Dostoyevsky, and speaking Mandarin fluently by age two. Had you not shared those achievements, I might have mistakenly thought my “average” children were just fine. Now I’m fully aware of how much I need to push them to meet those lofty standards.
In summary, without your direct and often critical guidance, I may have continued on a path that would have harmed my children for life. Though I didn’t ask for your opinions, you graciously offered them, as is standard for moms like you. Know better, do better, right?
Thank you immensely for helping me see just how inadequate I was as a mother. Who knows what kind of snack-crazed monsters my kids could have become otherwise.
Sincerely,
Me
P.S. If you’re looking for more parenting resources, check out this post about artificial insemination kits for those considering family planning. For those interested in making a difference, you can find information on becoming a donor at this site. And for fantastic information on pregnancy, visit Healthline.