Playing for the other team

By Laura Yates on Jan 14, 09 09:29 PM

It's finally happened. I've turned into one of those mothers I hate.

I've began to dole out unsolicited advice on parenting to my friends.

It's shocking, isn't it? I hated when other mothers would attack me with advice - it rained down on me from all sides. I just couldn't sort the wheat from the chaff. Being a first time mom I tried to listen to everything and would constantly beat myself up because I'd always be going against what someone had told me to do.

Now, with an eight year old and new toddler in tow, I'm playing for the other team (so to speak.) The advisee, has become the advisor. I must have spent fifteen minutes on the phone to Lucy Henman-Hill earlier, lecturing her on how to get her child to sleep through the night. I actually heard myself say at one point "What you need to do is..."

Eek! I'm cringing as I remember telling her to him to leave him to cry, and how long for, and when to go in, and when to give a bottle, and when not to pick him up, and when not to do this, and when not to do that. Bah.

In my defense it was all done with the best of intentions; I genuinely want to help, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm now an official busy-body.

I should remember that it's not like The Kid is sleeping perfectly through the night, (he was awake and being 'bottled' at 4am this morning after all). Plus, the fact he actually goes to bed without too much fuss is entirely down to the endless patience of The Other Half. Nothing to do with me at all.

That said I didn't breastfeed him this morning. THAT is progress. Although I don't think I'll be writing a book on the best way to stop breastfeeding any time soon. I mean, it's taken three months of wanting to stop, several biting incidents and multiple lacerations from clawing little mits to finally draw things to a close. That is, if things are drawing to a close. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

With regard to my giving up sugar and taking up fat... I'm not even going to talk about what I ate today. It doesn't bear thinking about. So, in light of the last four days' miserable effort I might knock this attempt on the head till next week.

And now I'm going to 'edrown' my sorrows by falling off the Facebook wagon yet again!