Backseat Parenting
- December 19th, 2007 12:36 am
I have returned! It’s nice to be back in my own home. While we had a wonderful time, home is always nice. I’ll be elaborating more about this trip after I dig up the cord to the digi-cam to post some pictures. Until then, I plan on ranting something awful.
I’m sure most of you are familiar with Back-seat Parenting. You know, it’s like Backseat driving where the person in the backseat keeps telling you how to drive until you are ready to scalp yourself;accept in Backseat Parenting people are butting in/whispering etc. their non-stop opinions about various things involving raising your child. I don’t mean spouses or the child’s other parent, either. I mean other relatives, maybe strangers, maybe your mailman? Hell, it could be anyone.
I’ve thought a lot about this topic lately. I’ve thought a lot about why not as many people openly blog about it, and I decided it was probably for the same reason that I’m going to semi-censor my blogging about it. Backseat parenters are probably backseat monitoring your blog.
After all, the people who do the backseat parenting, the very same people who feel the need to murmur under their breath numerous so called parenting tips or maybe they tell your (read:my) child yes after you’ve said no or vice versa. Well, those are the very same people (read:relatives) that might accidentally stumble upon your blog, or maybe they already read it. (Not you Mom, I’d tell you for sure.) The very same people who feel that every detail of your life is somehow their business, invited or not.
Nevertheless, I think most of the people that read this blog are parents. I think most of you probably know what it’s like. I don’t have to tell you that someone else randomly dishing out unwarranted parenting tips to you,that you neither needed nor asked for, is something akin to fingers scraping down a 10 ft. chalkboard…for six straight days.
I’m not saying I don’t ever need advice, because I certainly do. But I definitely do not need someone bossing my child around when I am within earshot. She has two parents, not four. Two Parents. TWO!
Honestly, I’ve just had a lot of drama with this since Allie was an infant. This person consistently goes behind my back to my husband or their spouse with their little tidbits and concerts. Never to my face, always behind my back. Once even ruining my birthday party by going behind my back and nixing my plans for a babysitter. Really, The person doing this isn’t an ass of any sort in a normal situation. They probably don’t even know they are being so fucking annoying abrasive. They’re just way too over protective, even over their adult children. It’s ridiculous. So ridiculous that I cannot even breathe while thinking about it.
I wish I could go more in depth with this as elaboration might really capture the take home message. But I really just can’t. All I can do is pound the frustration out on my poor little keyboard. A keyboard that is already missing the ‘Y’ key since my daughter took it upon herself to rip it off. Perhaps if I had taken the advice (murmured behind my back) of said person and not allowed her around computer, that wouldn’t have happened. What-the-hell-ever. <–So middle school, but I can’t help it right now. I am feeling the frustration/anxiety of a preteen not invited to the big boy/girl party.
December 19th, 2007 @ 6:56 pm
i had recently found out that, i had lurkers from my husbands family, reading my blog. So…i started a ’secret’ blog. i barely post there but, just knowing i have it…makes a difference! that way…anything i want to say…i can say! no worries!
xoxo
i’m so understanding you, right now! i just found out that my mil is bad mouthing me and the way i parent my step-kids…i am fuming. she referred to me, to my step-daughter, as the mean girl from the movie ‘mean girls’ and my hubby is one of my followers…
isn’t family fabulous…except you, mom!