Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Don't!

What is it with people, aunties, uncles, total strangers, all offering advice and asking me inane questions!! 

Beta you should not be breast feeding her still. It is not enough..Children bite and well you should not. Hello!! She has teeth and has not bitten me even once. And yes I know it is not enough, but it is her top comfort food right now and all of us have our comfort foods, so why not my daughter? And I will wean her off naturally, thank you very much.  

Oh my god! She is so fair! Or you are really lucky she is sooo fair..Or Is your husband fair? NO NO Not me nor my husband (ex) are fair, but hell can she not resemble other members of my family? And these are my relatives asking this stupid question. Lucky??!! 

You haven't given her sweets yet!! Not introduced her to sugar?? What about salt? I don't see any reason why I should introduce her to sugar or chocolates. Its too early. And a doc asking me this question is really dumb. Its scientifically proven that if you do not introduce salt and sugar for the first 3 years, the kidneys develop really well and sugar makes the kids hyperactive. They seem to derive some perverse satisfaction that I have introduced salt only because my kiddo happened to sample idli's and loved it. 

OMG you do not give her cows milk? What do you give her then? Again scientifically proven that cows milk should not be introduced for the first 2 years and with all the cows being injected with hormones and my kiddo is lactose intolerant any ways  

What do you feed her to make her cheeks so round? Guess that its genetic didn't occur to any of them! 

Why has she lost so much weight? Aren't you feeding her properly? you have kept her on only rice diet that is why she is not putting on weight. Yea Right! She is growing, has started walking running and grown tall, quite obvious she will loose weight. And I do not want a chubby obese child, rather a healthy one. 

I am going to pinch her cheeks whenever I meet her. Make sure you are around cause I know she is going to cry. Bah!! I'd like to ask you know if you do the same to your 2 month old grand child now.. 

The only consolation that I have is that none of my generation are asking such stupid questions, its only the elders of the previous generations questioning me. And they don't spare my mum either!

19 comments:

Indian Home Maker said...

Somethings don't change. We all face the same annoying questions. My kids still have milk without sugar and I still regret introducing them to sugar and chocolate at all. My daughter had cavities at 7. Preservatives also cause allergies. I chose breast milk over cow's milk too. What's wrong with natural, healthful, wholesome food?
Nobody really cares, they just say whatever comes to their mind. You are doing great :)
PS Just thank God you're not in Uttam Dave kind of family, you would have had to OBEY these people.

Imp's Mom said...

Thanks IHM and You are so right...my mum also says people will ask annoying quest..its like their bread and butter..esp if you want to go against the norm and go for natural healthy food...

I was in the Uttam Dave kind of family and I walked out...I wonder what he will have to say to that..hhehehe :P

~nm said...

Ohh I know such people. They really get to you and make you so irritated. However I try to console myself with the saying "Dogs shall bark!"

I know its not easy but try and ignore them as much as you can!

And smile!! :)

Trishna said...

God!! Why can;t people just stop!!
I just weaned off Aadya..and someone asked me..oh why.. you could have waited till she was two! Gah there is no pleasing them!
As for sugar..I introduced it now,slowly and she doesnt like it!so lucky me! :D
But choclates she loves!

Mampi said...

Wow, interesting post. As moms, we have all faced such stuff at one time or the other.
I remember, when I was breastfeeding both the times, some female relatives of mine would look at me in a disparaging way as if I was too poor to afford formula milk. Not that I cared. Some women actually announce that they cannot breast feed because they don't have enough milk. And feel proud of it.

DewdropDream said...

Hello! Thought I'd drop in and see who my latest visitor is :) I've been reading a whole lot of mommy blogs lately and while I'm nowhere near any stage of motherhood, I like to think this will all be helpful whenever my time comes. Well, it's mostly that I enjoy reading what all you mothers have to say :)

I see from your profile that you live in Mysore! I'm from there too! Hope to get to know you better :) Umm, btw, the photo header on your blog, is the pic of your daughter? That child is really captivating :)

Thought Room said...

I know parenting comes with unwanted perks. I think it is a crazy human nature to want to contribute to somebody's lifestyle, how ever ill equiped they are to do so. The craziest advice I got was when some dumb relative took it upon herself to tell me that breast feeding my little one beyond a certain age would make him short tempered and ruffianish.

Pinku said...

hi!

I arent a mother yet so really cant make any comments on do's and dont's...not that I would be much inclined to even if I were. its your child and no one can have her interest more at heart than you.

Love your spirit though!!!

Aarti said...

Shucks... people sure seem to be nosey and want to have an opinion about everything and anything na...

i have seen this at home... i feel people shd let parents raise their kids the way they wanna and not suffocate them with "do this, do that".... when i do have a kid, i shall follow my own rules..everybody else stay away[hang on, does this mean i gotta get married 1st?? shucks~~~~ life sucks..hehehe]

Imp's Mom said...

nm: I have started doing that :) only way to preserve my sanity.

Trish: Welcome! and some people just cant be pleased.. Lucky you with the sugar! :)

Mampi: Welcome! Can only pity such types, who put their ego before the welfare of their child!

DewDropDream:Welcome! I imagine it was my strong opinionated comment that got you here :P yes we should get to know each other, and no the photo header is not a pic of my daughter, its a part of the template design by Final sense.

ThoughtRoom: Short tempered and ruffianish...lol..some people...

Pinku: Welcome! thank you!

Aarti: Welcome! heheh well not really you know :P you can still have a child...

BG said...

Hi...

I read alot of mommy blogs..came to ur blog via one of the mommy blogs...really like the way u ppl write....
m not a mommy so i cant really comment,
but all i can say is these advices by elders are really irritating sometimes...

n by the way.... i live in mysore too...:)

Swati said...

Ohh..don't give a damn..just smile and resume to like.

Monika said...

wow!!! i simply loved this post, i am going thru exactly this at present, i have a 7-month and people have unsolicited advice on everything. why dont people leave it to us to decide how we want to bring up our children whether its good or bad... my son just weaned himself off the breast, refuses to take breast milk in any ways so i have put him on formula and there are people who have actually laughed on me and called my doctors strange for not allowing cow's milk... gosh and then there are people who blame me for my son not taking my milk and the list is endless.

honey is another thing that tops the list everyone around wants to give him honey and when i tell them not till one year and pass some comment again

PS: came to ur blog via IHM and loved it, will probably blogroll it

Anonymous said...

I am not a mommy, but can somehow relate to what you are saying...

My dog jumped over my TV and broke it. First, we were making excuses for this and not telling people because they would start off with "Thats why you should not have a dog"....by their logic, we should not have kids either :p

And then we got a new TV, a 32" one because I think that any bigger and our living room will look dwarfed by the TV. But we have been getting hour long calls on why we should get a bigger TV , and how deals are good for bigger TV..etc.

Imp's Mom said...

Welcome Invincible :) great to meet another blogger from Mysore..

Swati: that is what I do, but it gets so irritating!

Monica: Welcome and Thank you:) Giving advise is an inborn talent with most people I guess..

Cluelessness: people just wait to dole out advice don't they ...lol

Unknown said...

I came across a Documentary
(During Channel Surfing/hopping [a.k.a toggling b/w two channels] So i have "many pieces" but not all..)

1>
Apparently babies have a naturally know (instinct/knowledge... the kind of thing which some animals/insects know without being taught) how to suckle.. AND they naturally loose the ability.

Well the interesting thing which kept watching the program was it was a Documentary about Mothers/Kids Breastfeeding well upto & over 5 years


=============================


I have a Grandma (illiterate, about 85 years old, 12 kids... kind of person) .... But way ahead in thinking (( even more than her daughter / My mom who has a P.hD ))
Any of her daughters, DILs, grand<< what ever the postfix be >> are sure to get a mouthful if they are not breastfeeding.

===========================

she calls today's kids "milk powder" kids... LoL



anyway Cheers to u . . .

La vida Loca said...

it never stops no? :)

Imp's Mom said...

Sukla: "milk powder kids".. lol and over 5 years wow!

la vida loca: sigh..yea it doesnt stop.. :)

Anonymous said...

I guess people run out of questions when they see babies and just come up with something. And well some of those things could be their idea of letting know they are concerned. People come of all sorts. :-)