Chip Chick
This woman’s friend is a mother to a toddler.
Her friend has been struggling with her son’s behavior recently. Each morning,when her friend tries to get her son dressed, he has a fit.
“I was giving her advice, and suddenly, I remembered what happened when my son was 2. I told her to force it on him and let him figure it out for himself a few times. Then I told her what I did with my son, not realizing at the time that there was a Karen listening in on our conversation,” she said.
When her son was 2-years-old, it was during the winter and freezing. One day, she had to get her son bundled up before bringing him to daycare, and he didn’t want to get dressed.
“He was screaming and throwing a tantrum. I got fed up. He was just wearing a pullup. I picked him up and took him outside for a few seconds. He immediately decided that wearing warm clothes was a good thing. I didn’t have any more trouble that day,” she explained.
She also told her friend that she realized that it was best to give her kids more independence with their decision-making little by little rather than drastic transitions from total dependence to being completely on their own. Her friend nodded in agreement and said that this sounded like applicable advice for her current situation with her son.
“The Karen behind us piped up and informed me that my way sounded lazy. She said I was a jerk, a terrible mother, and my friend would be as well if she took my advice, then kept going on and on until I told her, ‘Oh, for Pete’s sake, SHUT UP!’ I rolled my eyes hard. My friend started to express her doubts,” she shared.
When her friend seemed unsure after hearing the Karen’s opinions, she told her friend that she should feel free to make her own parenting choices, regardless of what anyone else thinks.
After the Karen situation, she started to reflect on her parenting throughout her children’s lives.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
