Part of Being a Parent is Having Other Adults Hate You
Hate may be too strong a word but it does sort of seem that being a parent means most people don’t like you anymore. They may not say it to your face, but there are little signs or you’ll hear them say it to other people.
People who don’t have kids and don’t want to
This group of people are often the ones who are the most obvious about not liking you. They don’t want young kids anywhere around them. Not on a plane. Not in a restaurant. No where.
They’re like the guy from Green Eggs and Ham, (a reference they might not get.)
‘Why would you have kids when things are so bad?’ they like to ask. Irresponsible to put more of a burden on the planet.
They sometimes also like to give parenting advice, arguing that they’ve been a child so they know what they’re talking about. In some cases this can be helpful. One of my sons has a mild medical condition, that I do not have, and speaking to someone with the same condition was very helpful.
But often people who are not parents do not have the context needed to give helpful advice. Before I became a parent I also thought every meal I served would be perfectly balanced and healthy. In reality we go to McDonald’s at least twice most weeks. One of the few foods my youngest will consistently…
