The Sport of Parenting

June 27, 2013 matt 1,608 Comments

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I read a lot of online magazine articles and blog posts about the topics that interest meÃ¢Â?Â¦since having Sammy one of those topics has become parenting. HereÃ¢Â?Â?s what I have learned:1)Ã?Â Ã?Â Ã?Â Ã?Â Ã?Â Parenting is a sportÃ¢Â?Â¦meaning it is very competitive2)Ã?Â Ã?Â Ã?Â Ã?Â Ã?Â People are intensely judgmental

That is all.

You raised your baby on formulaÃ¢Â?Â¦you are a failure as a parent.

You donÃ¢Â?Â?t warm the bottle before giving it to himÃ¢Â?Â¦you might as well just kill him.

You let him cry in his crib sometimesÃ¢Â?Â¦you will go to hell.

You let gay people hold himÃ¢Â?Â¦God will strike you down.

You cuss in front of himÃ¢Â?Â¦I hope your penis falls off.

You circumcised your sonÃ¢Â?Â¦shame on you.

You didnÃ¢Â?Â?t circumcise your sonÃ¢Â?Â¦IÃ¢Â?Â?m calling CPS.

Yada yada yada and blah blah blah.

Obviously some of this is a bit of a stretch but the anger, disgust, bitterness, and competition can be seen in almost every headline and almost every online and offline conversation. Although, it does happen more online because people feel safe behind their computer screens while ripping other parents apart.

I firmly believe that every parent should do the absolute best that they can for their kids, in fact, they should focus on THEIR own kids and not on other peopleÃ¢Â?Â?s kids. There is more than one way to skin a cat and certainly more than one way to raise a child. If we choose to formula feed him, cuss in front of him, let him cry some shit out, and love him more than anything else on the planetÃ¢Â?Â¦you should shut up and keep on walking.

This whole competitive parenting thing is so beyond old and tired. Sure, I have my opinionsÃ¢Â?Â¦like breastfeeding in american online marketing payday loans public should be covered. I donÃ¢Â?Â?t want to see your boob hanging all outÃ¢Â?Â¦cover up, but if you choose to breastfeed or formula feedÃ¢Â?Â¦who the hell am I?

If you choose to coddle your child and never let him cry, greatÃ¢Â?Â¦do that and good luck to you. If you circumcise your boy or not, why in the world would I care? If you donÃ¢Â?Â?t like homosexuals then donÃ¢Â?Â?t have your kid around them, I disagree with that but do what you want.

Parenting is one of the most difficult and rewarding things you can ever do. My question is; why are we so incredibly hard on one another about it? The topic of parenting is like politics and religion, you just arenÃ¢Â?Â?t able to talk to anyone about it anymore because everyone is so damned opinionated and unwilling to listen or compromise or simply be open minded.

All I really want to do is sit around and drink, sing koombaya, smoke a stogie, listen to music, and chat. Save all the drama for your mamaÃ¢Â?Â¦and as my wife always says, keep your eyes on your own paper. Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and focus on your own dysfunction. Talk to me in 30 years when your kid is a heroin addict and is living under a bridge (or maybe thatÃ¢Â?Â?ll be my kid).

ItÃ¢Â?Â?s possible all the articles are written to drive website traffic but some just seem so dramatic and ignorant. You donÃ¢Â?Â?t have to agree with what we choose to do with our kid but you really donÃ¢Â?Â?t have to be an asshole either.

So pick your adult beverage of choice, untwist your panties, and letÃ¢Â?Â?s take it down a notch!