My sister-in-law, who doesn't have any kids, shared this article: 5 Things Parents Need to Stop Saying to Non-Parents. We all get so wrapped up in our season of life, we can sometimes forget that others are in different seasons or just have completely different lives and goals. It's always nice to take someone else's feelings into consideration.
"First, I should say that I am 100 percent guilty of all of these. I
know this reads as an advice list, but really it's advice I'm giving
myself. The "you" I am addressing in this piece is me... unless it
applies to you; then it is you.
I ran headfirst into this parenting thing, and have gladly and
gratefully let it redefine me as a person. One unforeseen side-effect
has been that I view everything through the lens of parenting. Sometimes
that is a good thing. For instance, I don't leave steak knives lying
around as much as I used to. Sometimes -- and this is what I've recently
learned -- it can alienate my non-kid-having friends. Here are some
things that are better left unsaid.
1. "Dogs are not kids."
It usually goes like this. "Ugh. You know what really bugs me? When
so-and-so compares her dog to my kid. Or when so-and-so refers to his or
her dog as his or her kid. Dogs are not kids! She has NO IDEA!"
You know what? Unless "so-and-so" needs professional help, I guarantee
"so-and-so" knows that her dog is not a human child. She also knows that
having a dog is nothing like having a kid. What she's really saying is
"Oh! Yes. I also have something in my life that poops AND brings me
joy."
She is trying to relate to you and be a part of your life -- the life
where all you do is talk about your kids. I know that it's hard to
relate when you have kids and your friends don't. What were once close
relationships can become sporadic meet-ups where you do your best to try
and catch up with someone with whom you have very little in common
anymore. Sure, you two were best buds in college, but now you have very
different lives. So, when "so-and-so" offhandedly, and perhaps
awkwardly, tries to relate to your story about picking poo out of your
bangs by comparing it to scraping dog shit out of the carpet, cut her
some slack. She's just trying to be nice. And she misses you.
2. "You think you're [insert anything here]? Try having kids!"
Tired, stressed, in pain, covered in urine, it doesn't matter. They
all apply. Too often, we parents downplay non-parents' concerns by
pulling ours out and tossing them on the table. "Oh man! You worked 50
hours this week? Try doing that with kids!" "Oh man, you think your feet
hurt from working outside all day! I've been chasing my toddler blah blah blah punch me in the face, please."
It's not a competition. If, on a scale of 1 to Passing Out Awkwardly
in the Shower and Waking Up When the Hot Water Runs Out, your friend is
at a 7, and three weeks into your first newborn you were at a 9, that
DOESN'T MAKE YOUR FRIEND ANY LESS TIRED.
It isn't that your experiences can't be a valid contribution to the
conversation, but instead of a "my pain is more painful than your pain"
approach, instead, try sympathizing. Why not try using your experience
as a new parent to help instead of compete? Say something like, "Whoa! I
bet you're tired. When I was tired after my daughter was born, I found
that pouring coffee directly into my eyeballs was incredibly useful."
3. "Don't worry, when you have kids you'll..."
... not be grossed out by boogers, know who Dora the Explorer is, be
happy... UGH. We've got to quit assuming that everyone is going to have
kids. Some people don't want kids and choose not to have them. Some
people really want kids and are trying incredibly hard to have them.
Indicating to these people that having kids is the only way they will
reach some higher level of understanding is both inconsiderate and rude.
I don't know what the alternatives to these statements are. Maybe just
cut anything that starts with "When you have kids..." out of your
repertoire all together. It makes you sound like someone's mom, anyway.
4. "Is the party kid-friendly?"
Unless you and your friend have some previous communication on this
topic about how your little one is always welcome, assume the party is
not kid-friendly. Don't ask. If it were "kid-friendly" they would have
invited you AND your kids, and mentioned the awesome playroom that they
will have set up in the basement. By asking your non-kid-having friends
if their party is kid friendly you are putting them in the really
awkward position of either MAKING their party kid-friendly on the fly,
or telling you that the party is NOT kid-friendly which, then, no matter
how low-key the party was intended to be in the first place, pretty
much requires that they now provide a steady supply of hookers and blow.
Don't make your friends set up a kids' room, and definitely don't make
them buy hookers and blow.
5. "My life didn't have meaning before I had kids!"
Another way to say this: My life was meaningless before I had kids. Another way: Life without kids is meaningless.
Look, I know this feeling. Sometimes it feels like all the worries I
had before my kids were trivial. I understand the urge to convey that
feeling into words. Don't do it. Your life may have a different purpose
now, but your pre-kid life was an important part of your story, and your
non-kid-having friends are a part of that. Don't dismiss that part of
your life the way most people skip the foreword to a novel they really
want to read. By dismissing the "before" as just a buildup to your kids,
you are not only dismissing your friends, but you're also implying that
their story has not started yet.
Lastly, if you have done or said any of these things, you don't need
to apologize. Just stop saying them. Apologizing will make it worse. I
apologized for one of these things, and it came out poorly. It basically
sounded like "Oh, you poor, delicate, non-kid-having flower. I am sorry
that I was so consumed in my awesome parenting that I was neglectful
and dismissive of our friendship. Please forgive me."
There was no forgiveness needed. I hadn't harmed anyone, I'd just
annoyed them. Forgiving me would have been like forgiving a fly for
landing on you. So, I promise to try and be more aware of how I say
things, a better friend and less of a fly. And by less of a fly, I mean
that I will not land on you, vomit on you and then try to eat you.
College is over. I don't do that stuff anymore."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-kinnear/5-things-parents-need-to-stop-saying-to-non-parents_b_3573670.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
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