I guess its just a rite of passage for all new parents, but never before in my life had I been given SO much "free" advice! Customers, hairstylists, co-workers, letter carriers, the guy (gal) at the checkout counter, even complete strangers... they all have some sort of "must have" tidbit of advice to give.Most of this advice is the same old stuff... it seems to follow gender lines though; Men (dads), tend to say things like: "Oh, better get lots of sleep now..." or "You're in for a BIG change...". Women tend to be a little less useless with their advice than men, but generally more graphic and/or scary. They tend to tell Amber things like, "When I was pregnant with (insert child's name) he/she (insert terrifying birth story)".
Sometimes though, you get someone that gives you a piece of advice that's makes you wonder how in the world they thought it could possibly be useful. For example: Today Amber and I were at The Bay shopping for a gift. I asked one of the associates for some help finding an item we were looking for, as we were walking over to that section of the store she decided it would be a fantastic time to dole out some of that free advice. She commented on Amber looking like she was ready to pop (judging by her Waddle - which Amber hates when people point out), she then suggested a sure-fire way to induce labour: "My Doctor told me to drink two very strong Gin & Tonics, and have a bubble bath. I did it for both of mine, and it worked like a charm!" WHAT? Are you nuts Lady... even worse, was your Doctor nuts? As soon as she said that I whispered to Amber that I HAD to add that to the blog!
I must say, not all free advice is bad advice though. We have received TONS of fantastic advice from our friends and family. All I know is I'm going to try REALLY hard to not be one of those Dads that offers useless advice... yeah I know... easy for me to say now!
Mason and Amber,
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely hil-ar-ious!! The Gin and Tonic totally made me laugh out loud. I still think the coat hanger or the crochet hook is the way to go...just kidding.
I love you guys and think it's funny that people give their 'free' advice. But seriously though, I heard if you jog 10.5 km on one foot that should work. But, I also heard if you jog 10.4 km on the left foot that you could have a boy. People!? Geesh...Give it a try though and let me know if it works. hehe.
Also of note, I noticed that people give really, REALLY dirty looks when you're in the baby section and they think you're too young to be there. I was checking out some cute baby stuff at Winners today and I got a couple of 'evil eye' glares from strangers. I was like, WTF? Are people that rude?? Apparently after the crazy lady commment that you shared, they really are.
And no worries about the waddle Sista, you look cute and people are just jealous. You are gonna be one cute Momma and I am sure you'll fall into the role nicely...whether or not it comes innately. Mason, I already have no doubts about you as a Father-- I have seen how great you are with kids and how well you handle Amber. If that is any indication, you'll be a super Dad. :)
Love you guys and I am counting down the days 'til Little Annie Bananie arrives.
xox Auntie Miranda
I too laughed out loud when the sales lady left and Mason said he's putting the comment on his blog. I think she might have heard me to as I did not keep quiet.
ReplyDeleteI have learned that people are just plain judgemental and nosey. Mira, if you think weird looks from Winners shoppers are bad, you should have seen some of the looks I've received over the past seveal months. Initially they were of the "is that a teenage mother?" dirty look while they oh so subtly looked for a wedding ringand now they've miraculously transitioned to the "oh, the poor thing" stare. I have to admit, I don't know which one I prefer.
Along with the "you must be due anytime" waddle, I also noticed today that, no one has said to me in a LONG time that I don't look pregnant from behind. WAH...I guess my ass is pregnant now too.
Amber and Mason I love these blogs. I can't wait to see little Annie's pics and videos on here too. I am also impatient and seem to be getting worse as I get older. Amber, you have been waiting to be a mother since you were a little girl so you have actually been quite patient. Mason, your entry was hilarious and so true. I think people think they are helping you, but the truth is that you figure it out on your own in your own way and in your own time. Thanks for setting this up, so we can all feel a part of Annie's arrival.
ReplyDeleteLove Granna V
xxxooo
Here's another piece of probably useless advice -- get used to all the useless and sometimes unwanted advice! From the second your child is born you will have a million people (myself included) telling you what to do and not to do!! I'll never forget when Barb and my mom were both visiting just after Aidan was born and they both were constantly talking about how I needed to get Aidan outside more -- I finally turned to them both and said that I was planning on leaving Aidan in a dark closet for the rest of his life. I can laugh now because I know they were just trying to be helpful grandmas but boy, at the time...not so much!! So again, GET USED TO IT!!!
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