The great parenting debate - Whose opinion matters the most?
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007By Kristin Dunlap, mom of 3
When I first started having children, the trend was “attachment parenting.” And I quickly learned about the supposed “tension” between stay-at-home moms and those who worked. Of course, I stressed about all of it!
After 10 years of parenting, I am a little more laid back and can better go with the flow compared to the early years. (Let’s see how I’m doing when my kids hit the teen years!).
So I was interested to see the recent Internet interest in British celebrity nanny, Claire Verity’s, interview on the Web.
The interview states: “In America, especially, parents are overcautious. They’re slightly nervous about a newborn and lack confidence. The U.K. parents are more go-with-the-flow. The Americans are slightly more nervous about what they should and shouldn’t do — whether it be sleeping or breast feeding, there’s a huge amount of pressure… At the end of the day, it’s really not important if you do get it right. So what if you can’t breastfeed? Is it really that important? What’s important is that your baby is fed, not what your neighbor three doors down thinks about whether you breastfeed or don’t breastfeed. I think American moms worry too much about what other people think.”
I think I agree with Claire Verity on that point — I am constantly judging and comparing myself to other mom’s and worrying about what others think. Today, I am deciding that it’s my kids’ opinions that matter the most!
It’s not about me as a mom — it’s about how I can help them develop great life skills and facilitate a happy, healthy and positive life approach.
Let us know what you think about which parenting skills and lessons learned have worked the best in your home!


