What kind of parent are you?

Hope2Have · October 2011

Just wondering, everyone is so different... are you

1. Super laid back (let strangers hold LO if they look "normal")

2. Relaxed but cautious (let parents/bff keep LO)

3. Very cautious (leave super instructions for leaving LO with dh)

4. Extremelly nervous (Totally freak out when someone comes near LO, wouldn't leave LO unless emergency)

5. Total control (dh has to ask to hold baby and he is supervised)

) Just for fun!

kacelle · October 2011

Relaxed but cautious. I don't worry about every little thing and I don't have a problem leaving DD at daycare or with family, but I wouldn't let a stranger hold her.

SarahRae812 · October 2011

3 - but only b/c DH asks for the detailed instructions. He's still getting comfortable w/ DD and kind of freaks out when she's fussy. My mom, sister, MIL & SIL are much more confident so I don't have to be so specific.

CanaryIsland629 · October 2011

relaxed but cautious.

No one but our moms and our home daycare provider are able to sit with her while we are out. I wouldn't mind if someone wanted to hold her if they were a mutual friend but no strangers. definitely not.

Hope2Have · October 2011

I guess I am a 1.5... I don't go through the store offering her over to strangers, but did let a woman at the booth next to ours at a steak house hold her. She was a grandma but her family had all moved away and she kept talking about how she loved to hold babies... She enjoyed it so much! I knew I could out run her, so I wasn't too worried. )

I have only let my dh, mom, mil, bff (of 20 years) keep her but would probably let other family members if they wanted to, but I just don't have a desire to be away from her. I am just so confident in how much everyone loves her so, and wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Sean+Lyss · October 2011

Number 2. I am totally fine with family and friends holding and watching LO (either or both) for me and DH. I am cautious when it comes to strangers though. I cringe when people I don't know touch my kids.

BabyBoyNYC · October 2011

i'm a mix between relaxed and very cautious! I would say I'm more "high anxiety" parent. My baby LOVES people so I would never not let someone show him love or hold him (as long as they weren't drunk or some stranger weirdo) but I worry all the time and only feel comfortable with my MIL watching him.

I can run every possible horrible scenerio in my head and freak myself out and that is the problem as well as I always assume the worst

MissManda · October 2011

I'm relaxed but cautious except when it comes to MIL. I leave her beyond specific instructions - even if I'm only going to be gone an hour. I don't trust her, and I'm doing short outings to try to get better. DH texts or calls alot when he's by himself, but he doesn't have alot of faith in his parenting skills.

I would never let a complete stranger hold him, no matter how normal they look.

JNBrickey · October 2011

I'm a 2.5, I think. I wouldn't leave DH instructions, he doesn't need them. There are people I wouldn't leave my DD with and I definitely wouldn't let a stranger hold her, no matter what they looked like. Unless it was like, Wentworth Miller. Wink

kathrnn · October 2011

I am honestly a mix of both, depending on what it is/the day lol.

I let a stranger hold my daughter at a baby shower last Sunday (big mistake), but then I get on edge if random people come up and try to touch her hands or face. If she is upset I can sometimes become a bit of a control freak, mostly because I feel like I know best- hah.

LnR70707 · October 2011

Scout2005:

2.5

I leave her w/ my mom and DH without worrying about it. I wouldn't leave her with anyone else at this time.

Yep...this. Though I have left him with MIL once (I'd be cooler with that if she didn't smoke) and my sister has watched him, but I wouldn't do that if I wasn't fairly close by.

pinkforme · October 2011

Probably a 2.75. Lol. I'd trust our parents and brother and sister-in-law to watch her without me (or DH) present but not too many others. Definitely no strangers holding her. I wouldn't ask to hold a stranger's baby so I can't understand why one would ask to hold mine.

akayf · October 2011

Both DH and I are 1s. We were at a family party last weekend. For 5 hours, I barely held or took care of DS. My aunt, uncle, and cousins kept passing him around.

I have to go to one of my drs very regularly for bloodwork(I'm on coumadin since for blood clots in my arm and leg and need to get my levels checked frequently) As soon as I walk in, one of the nurses asks "Can I hold him?" and away he goes to visit with everyone. At church, the regulars who sit near DH and the kids(I'm in the choir so I'm up in the choir loft) ask to hold him.

MIL watches the kids regularly. I will say I don't trust my dad with both kids at once right now. But he takes my older son for a day out frequently.

And it's not because this is my second kid...DH and I were also very laidback with our first son too.

MikeJessIves · October 2011

2

As a second time mom I am a lot more laid back. All my immediate family and friends take both kids! Im not down with random strangers coming up and grabbing them though.

hepcats · October 2011

2. I don't have a problem with strangers babysitting as long as they come highly recommended and someone knows them personally but I prefer people I know.

JenniferHanna · October 2011

I am in the relaxed but cautious group

ladybug122 · October 2011

I think I'm a 2, but I do like to check in very often when I'm away from her. I trust family with her but our longest stretch apart was about 2 hours.

katie4253 · October 2011

2.5. I don't have a problem leaving LO with my mom or H at all. I wouldn't have an issue if he was with a couple of my friends either. I do however, HATE leaving him with MIL/FIL. It is because I know they don't respect our parenting.

I am also very worried about illness. So, if someone tired to touch him without washing their hands, I'd freak. Never would I let a stranger touch him.

MilMom2B · October 2011

Definitely a 2 - relaxed, but cautious.

kacelle · October 2011

JNBrickey:
I'm a 2.5, I think. I wouldn't leave DH instructions, he doesn't need them. There are people I wouldn't leave my DD with and I definitely wouldn't let a stranger hold her, no matter what they looked like. Unless it was like, Wentworth Miller.

He just might could hold DD.

MommaA117 · October 2011

relaxed but cautious.

I let my Mom and MIl watch her and that is it. I am pretty laid back about them though.

Im a little of 4 though. I do not like strangers touching her and I hate to admit that even going to some family events makes me nervouse because I know everyone will want to hold her and I worry about if they have colds etc.

McAllie5 · October 2011

Mostly a 2. I only feel comfortable leaving DS with our parents for now- no other family or friends. I have been known, though, to let a couple of strangers hold him. One was when I was trying on baby carriers at a baby gear store (the sales clerk was helping) and one was more of a distant acquaintance, and I was right there both times. Also, during a family wedding I was ok with him being passed around to different people all night while DH and I were elsewhere. MIL was watching him like a hawk, though, and she's more of a worrywart than I am - so I knew he was ok.

Hope2Have · October 2011

akayf:

Both DH and I are 1s.   We were at a family party last weekend.   For 5 hours, I barely held or took care of DS.   My aunt, uncle, and cousins kept passing him around.

I have to go to one of my drs very regularly for bloodwork(I'm on coumadin since for blood clots in my arm and leg and need to get my levels checked frequently)   As soon as I walk in, one of the nurses asks "Can I hold him?" and away he goes to visit with everyone.    At church, the regulars who sit near DH and the kids(I'm in the choir so I'm up in the choir loft) ask to hold him.

MIL watches the kids regularly.   I will say I don't trust my dad with both kids at once right now.   But he takes my older son for a day out frequently.

And it's not because this is my second kid...DH and I were also very laidback with our first son too.

This! I waited on Hadley for years and years, and really expected to not want a soul to hold her other than myself, worried about it actually for years before I got her. BUT... when she got here, I find myself wanting others to see and love on her, she is so amazing, just holding her makes people's day!

I want to say too, it's not as if I just hand her off to anyone, I do not. If a stranger tried to "grab her" (as someone said they wouldn't allow) I would run and call the police. The only couple of times I let a stranger hold her, I was right there, and they didn't "grab" or even ask to hold her, but I could just see the longing, and when I offered, it made their day! A lady at a consignment store said "leave that baby up here with me while you shop" and I told her no thank you, b/c I wasn't at ALL comfortable doing so. I really am cautious... but, I also think that while I'm a great mom (IMO) I'm not the only one that loves her!

Anyways, us all being different is what makes the world go around!

kewltif · October 2011

I think I'm a 2. I do leave instructions for people if they are watching her, but I think that is helpful for them. At parties I let her get passed from person to person and I don't really think about it. I felt like a bad mom yesterday though when my one friend was saying, "OMG, at Hannah's christening last month I was getting so nervous because our other friend was wasted and holding her and I was afraid she'd drop her. She faced a bottle of wine by herself." 1. I never even noticed said friend was drunk and 2. I never even noticed that said friend held my daughter!

Shelleybell · October 2011

#2

futuremrsofficer · October 2011

hepcats:
2. I don't have a problem with strangers babysitting as long as they come highly recommended and someone knows them personally but I prefer people I know.

This is me too.

IrishEyes0530 · October 2011

Scout2005:
2.5
I leave her w/ my mom and DH without worrying about it. I wouldn't leave her with anyone else at this time.
I do leave instructions for each of them,but frankly I'm kind of a control freak; they just sort of nod and go about their business, as they are used to me.
I leave detailed lists for anyone watching my dog as well, so you know.

This word for word. I'm most comfortable leaving DS with my mom but she lives 800 miles away! I'm pretty comfortable with MIL as she had 5 children and DS is her 7th grandchild. That and I know she respects me as a parent. My dad and stroking on the otherhand... They want to feed him everything they eat regardless of how much I stress not to so they lose out. Anyone else is way off limits for watching him for now. I'm pretty upright about everything.

Dani0701 · October 2011

I'd say between 2 and 3, because I want DS to get used to being with my family and friends, but if I'm leaving him, I don't expect they'd know exactly what to do so I'll leave details instructions. I didn't think I had to leave detailed instructions with my mom, but after coming home one day and she fed him 2 6oz bottles and keep him up for over 3 hours straight, I quickly learned that I needed to!

CocoBrynne · October 2011

# 3 for most people, including my DH and my parents, and #5 when it comes to my IL's bc they are just idiots

FordFalcor · October 2011

2 for sure

I want her to know and be comfortable with all of her extended family and our friends.

SFBayMrs · October 2011

Relaxed but cautious.

Stellar1 · October 2011

Relaxed but cautious for sure.

CMM05 · October 2011

I would say I'm a 1.5

But, take it with a grain of salt because I'm a 3rd time mom!

But, even with DS1, I was pretty laid back. I also work and went back to work when all 3 of my kids were around 10 weeks. So, I didn't have a choice but to leave them with my mom, MIL, sitter, etc.

Our sitter drives with all of our kids and we have gone on several overnight trips without our kids.

I have let a stranger hold my daughter (gasp!!). I was at a local shoe store and she was really fussy. The sales lady helping me asked if she could help me by holding her and I said sure Of course, this was at a store I have been going to for years and I know the people there are all good people, plus I was right there.