Mommy & Me

I've been needing to vent and with this being my blog, what better outlet is there? If you don't feel like reading me venting, then stop here and read a different post or a different blog all together.


*Don't say I didn't warn you


I have about had it with people feeling the need to copy others. I've also had it with people completely ignoring any and all safety laws and putting their loved ones in danger. I am not perfect by any means and I don't go around preaching that I am. I am, however, not only a mother and have worked with children since I was 13 years old, but I'm also educated in early childhood development and I do research on pretty much anything and everything that has to do with my child (whew, that was a long sentence... talk about a run-on). That being said, there have been a couple events that have occurred this week that have pissed me off. Yes, I let them get to me. Should I have? Absolutely not; these people are not worth my time and I realize that. 


Safety laws exist for a reason. Child safety laws exist for an even bigger reason. As a parent, my child's safety and well being is my #1 priority as I'm sure it is for most parents. When I notice someone putting their child in danger AND breaking a law, I will say something. Now don't get me wrong, if you know me, you know I'm as far away from wanting confrontation as it gets so I would never talk to someone in an attacking manner. I like to approach things in a more educational manner and "hey, this made me think of you so I thought I'd share it with you." In this particular situation, the latter is exactly what I did. A girl on facebook posted a picture of her son (who was born the same day as Gunnar) in his new convertible car seat. It was forward facing. I decided not to jump to conclusions because she could very well have taken the picture then turned it around. I went ahead and messaged this girl and asked if he was actually forward facing, and to my shock and dismay, I found out he was. This little boy was 7 months old at the time! That is 100% illegal and completely unsafe! Her reasoning was that he was 22 pounds so she could go ahead and turn him around. She obviously didn't know the law on when it's ok to turn a child forward facing because not only does the child have to be 20 pounds, but s/he also has to be one year old. I went ahead and mentioned ERF* to her and in that included the fact that a child has to be 20 lbs and year to be FF*. She couldn't care less and got very pissy at me. I can't say I didn't expect that, as mom's tend to be very touchy when other mom's give them advice or tell them different ways of parenting. However, she went so far as to say that she would never put her child in any kind of danger... yet that is exactly what she was doing. 2 months later and he is still forward facing. I feel so sorry for this poor child and hope to God that she doesn't get into an accident and have something happen to him. These laws exist for a reason. 


*extended rear facing
*forward facing


Another issue I have is with (yet another) marine wife and mother. It's not the first time I've gotten upset by her antics and it sure won't be the last. Most of the time, I get upset on another friend's behalf. This person cannot seem to live her own life. She's constantly comparing her child to other children (mainly my friend's and my own child). Not only that, but once my friend's child, who is a month older, does something, this girl's child magically does it too. It's not something that happens every once in a while, but all the freaking time! It's incredibly annoying and I wish it would just stop. For some reason she feels the need to compare her child and make it seem like her's is above the curve. I've realized that she's been concentrating more on my friend's child than on my own and my guess is that Gunnar is slower with his milestones than my friend. In his defense, he is a boy and boys do things slower than girls and he also tends to cluster his milestones together in a week's time or less. Anyways, that's beside the point. It's just frustrating to be so happy for a friend and that friend's baby for a new accomplishment only to turn around and find out that this other person is flaunting that her child can now do the exact same thing. Coincidence? I think not. After about 15 months (or more) of this nonsense.. yes 15 months, pregnancies included, it needs to stop. My patience is growing very thin with this girl and I'm finding myself consciously trying to bite my tongue so I don't say something and come off like a complete bitch. Thankfully, I have some awesome friends to vent to who share my feelings and are more than willing to get mad right along with me. 


/scene