Reading the obnoxious mom post below got me thinking, are certain mom types you really can't take?
I hate "Shadow Moms" who follow their kids all over the playground or house and intercede in play when no one is in danger or being nasty. They have a way of acting like I am being lazy for letting my child play on their own, when they are the ones who need therapy (or at least their kids will). One lady came over and complained to me that my DD and and another child where "walking on her daughters sand castles" (small, almost indetectable piles of dirt in the middle of a walkway). They are 3 1/2. Not sure what she was "preserving" them for.
I also hate the competitive mom, especially those who only focus on one aspect of their child and dismiss all the others. One mom here is always going on and on about how her child is so smart and advanced, but the child has 0 social skills. Great that she knows her alphabet and all, but you might want to work on the fact that she doesn't aknowledge other children at all.
What types can you not deal with? (Probably my type :-)
Re: Mom types you can't take
The ones who would rather someone else take care of their kid while they are off doing whatever the heck they want.
I understand that every mom needs time to themselves, but do you really need to have someone watch your kid 5 days a week when you're off work in the summer so that you can go get drunk on the river?
Maybe I'm just jealous? I would love to have that much time that I could be home spending with my kids.
Hate "helicoptor" moms... the hovering ones whose kids can't even have a good time because they might get hurt or *gasp* get dirty.
Liam is 5!
Ones who try to turn everything into a learning experience :
"Look honey, it's an orange ball. Is it a big ball or a little ball?It's round,yes, it's round. Can you put the big round ball on your head? Where's your, head? Good girl."
I'm all for learning from play, but there's a line they cross.
Moms that don't take care of themselves. But, that's me projecting my needs on others. If I'm all hagged out, I feel crappy and it shows.
The hovering moms. There was a mom at DD's tumbling class who would intercede if the kids barely brushed past each other during free play. "Johnny John! Are you ok??!!" They are 2 yrs old. On a trampoline made to run on. They will run into each other. It's cool since they are, like, 2 feet off the soft, giving surface. Thankfully she finally chilled.
Christmas 2011
::hangs head in shame:: I'm trying SOOO hard not to do that anymore. This board is a real eye opener.
I have issues with SUPER MOM!! I have a friend is super mom and drives me nuts. She has her kids in 3 activities outside of school in addition to school, so the mom can network. She also insists on doing everything, when then turns her into martyr mom.
Pushy moms. For example, every mother who is subjecting their kid to "Your Baby Can Read."
Seriously -- your baby CAN'T read! Sure, they can memorize what words look like, but you can't hand them Great Expectations and expect them to get it @ 1 year old.
I don't understand why some moms refuse to let their kids be kids. They will learn to read eventually, but they are only 10 months for so long. Let your kids enjoy their childhood instead of making them study flashcards 3 times a day just so you have something to brag about.
Helicopter moms is a big one for me. Just leave them alone for 2 seconds!!
Also, moms who feel the need to schedule every second of their child's day. Again, just leave them alone for a while and let them be on their own!
The "we are SO busy/overscheduled" moms that complain how tired they are.
So quit soccer/swim lessons/Gymboree/soccer/ballet/music/art.
Voila. No longer overscheduled, and maybe your kid will learn to entertain themselves.
DS - December 2006
DD - December 2008
To be honest, I don't like a lot of people. I'm easily irritated. So with that disclaimer, here's my list:
- moms who are only moms. That is ALL they are. They have no interest outside of their kids and all they talk about is their kids. That is their only identity.
- competitive moms
- helicopter moms
- know it all moms - quite honestly I really don't care what anyone else did w/ their kids unless I ask. No need to tell me how you would have handled a situation [this is IRL, if I post here, I'm asking for feedback obviously]
- momhags, but really only momhags whose kids are dressed to the nines in expensive clothes. If you can afford head to toe Janie&Jack or boutique brands you can afford to get a haircut and some decent makeup as well as some clothes that fit and aren't your husband's old sweats. Clearly you care about appearances to some degree, care about your own too.
- martyr moms
This.
It's not so much that I can't stand them, but I feel really sorry for the moms who don't have a life outside of being a mom. I work hard to maintain my friendships with my friends who don't have kids, or doing mom's night out with my friends with kids. I want to talk about stuff beyond parenting.
Helicopter parents for sure!!!
My co-worker is still helicopter parenting her 22 year old son. She calls him to make sure he is getting up for class, she has access to his checking account online so she can pay his bills on time, she registers him for his classes at COLLEGE for crying out loud. It is SO annoying! Cut the damn cord already!
Yikes -- I'm all up in here! You guys really wouldn't like me. I give unsolicited advice ALL.THE.TIME --- I like to hear myself talk!
This is also me.... "and "willfully ignorant" moms; you know, the ones who spend months deciding which crib bedding to use or what kind of toy is most popular, but wants to turn their baby FF in the car at 10 months because the baby cries." I did wait until 12 months --- and honestly, it wasn't b/c they cried. It was b/c, I don't know, that's what you do. Again, there is that ignorance! Ignorance IS bliss, mind you!
And e --- that is SO me. Your #3. My good friend used to tease me because Joey, aka Biff, was going to wake up one day and think he was misplaced. He was all Janie & Jack and I was all Lands End yoga pants and stretch shirts!
The type of moms I hate --- the ones that are closed minded. But that's just in general actually --- they don't even have to be a mom. Oh, and it's even worse when they aren't AWARE that they are closed minded! THAT is irritating!
Ok, I'm going to ditto your list. The helicopter/shadow moms really bug me b/c then I feel that I have to shadow my kids when they really don't need it. It's just annoying!
I will fully admit to being this. However, I still wore makeup, but my hair was frequently in a ponytail and I was rocking my Lululemon yoga pants and a tshirt. I have tons of clothes, cute clothes in my closet, but I still reverted to the functional yoga pants. But I have been doing better the past few weeks;)
This.
DD Charlotte - 10/2011
this.. I love you.
I'm totally this mom and I'm not changing! I'm sooo paranoid about playground equipment and if I can't see my kid every second I worry. My oldest walked late and needed PT and was unsteady on her feet for a LONG time and it pretty much scarred me. Plus, some playground equipment is pretty high up and I just don't get not worrying that your kid will fall. I see kids littler than my 2 year old on really high places with no parent around, I just don't get that.
breezee you slore! There is a huge difference between lululemon yoga pants and your hub's old sweats!
I'm fine with comfy clothes - I wear them a lot. I guess I'm thinking more of the sloppiness of it all? Like you can look put togetherish in comfy clothes.
And it doesn't even have to be designer yoga wear or jeans or whatever - just as long as it fits and doesn't look sloppy. It could be from Target for all I care. I just hate the sloppiness and the look like you couldn't care less about yourself.
OHMYGOD. YES!! I've recently met one and it was all I could do not to throat punch him. He was explaining parenting to me as though I am not actually a parent myself. All his "advice" and judgment was unreal. And it turns out that while he is, in fact, a father, he is not exactly a parenting authority. His kid is 8 and he has been separated from the mom since before the kid was born. And has only recently begun to have consistent visitation. He never even SAW this child until he was almost 2. Insert biggest eye roll from me that my eyes nearly popped out of my skull.
I was mostly being a brat..sorry=P Like you said, a little bit of pride in your appearance goes a long way.
I knew it, you jerk!
This type of mom makes me cringe. I don't know why, but it really bugs me. Especially if it's in a baby talk voice.
hey, gotta keep you and your slut shoes on your toes!
HA!
I can't take the martyr moms. The "I never expect to sleep a full night until my kids go to college" etc attitude. And ditto the moms who are ONLY moms and have no outside interests or ability to talk about anything.
And, of course, the competitive moms are super annoying.
Oh yea. Overly sensitive moms/dads. Everyone says stupid sh!t about kids. I used to hear "DD is so small for her age" and then in the afternoon I hear "oh, she's not missing any meals." Seriously, let it in one ear and out the other. Or, be constructive and if you have to reply, make it decent.
We went to an Hween party when DD was like 4 months old, so DH is a new dad. A new, excited dad who likes to talk to people. DH is not an idiot. We met a couple and DH said "oh, how old is your DS, about 6 months?" In a complete huff, the DH says "HE'S 9 MONTHS OLD." They promtly turn and leave, obviously very upset. Um, geez, sorry!! DH felt really bad, but give the poor guy a break. They didn't even give DH a chance to be like "oh, sorry, I'm not good at getting kids ages right yet, I didn't mean to upset you..."
Getting THAT bent out of shape from an innocent comment, you have a loong life of gettinng worked up. He developmentally looked fine, but perhaps educating us or just brushing it off might have worked more than a nasty reply.
Christmas 2011