Sanctimammies Toddle On By

Posted in Being Mammy, Uncategorized by Maria Rushe - Blogger and Writer

Sanctimammy

Noun – A Mammy who believes that her way of parenting is the correct and proper way; judging and dismissing other Mums who do not parent as she parents.

Adj – Sanctimammious

‘Live and Let live’ they say. But once you dip your toe into the world of Parenthood, that seems to change for some people. It becomes ‘Do as I do, Think as I think’. There is no area in our lives which can cause heightened levels of self-doubt and self-criticism as parenting. And often, it is the outright self-righteousness and shared opinions of other parents which makes us doubt ourselves.

Have you ever been asked something about your child, only to have an eyebrow raised, or a lip pursed at your reply? Have you ever been nervous of telling someone how YOU do things, because you know that they do it differently?

We all have. We’ve all been there.

Parenting styles and beliefs and practices vary, not just in countries, or counties or communities, but within homes. For twenty houses in an estate or on a road, there will be twenty different parenting styles happening at once. But here’s the thing.

Just because you do things differently, doesn’t make you better.

Just because you work AND have kids, doesn’t make you better than the Mum who is working her ass off at home.

Just because you’re able to stay at home with your Puking minion, doesn’t make you a better Mum than the Mum who had no choice but to leave hers with Granny, because she couldn’t get off work.

Just because you Breastfeed your baby, doesn’t make you better than the Mum who, for WHATEVER reason, has to (or choses to) Bottle feed. You don’t know why they can’t (or don’t) breast feed. You don’t have to. It’s none of your business.

Just because you use organic, reusable nappies, you are not superior to the Mammy who stocks up on Packets.

Just because your Baby sleeps well, does not mean that the Mum who hasn’t slept for 14 months is less brilliant than you.

Just because you’ve decided to wean your Baby by the guidance of some book, feeding Quinoa and avocado and peppers, doesn’t make you better than the Mum who feeds her kid mashed potato and gravy, or (shock horror!) fishfingers and waffles.

Just because your little Japonica goes to 5 activities a week at 11 months old, does not make you a better Mum than Jacinta next door, who can just about leave the house to do the shopping, because her PND is so crippling that she can’t breath.

Just because you gave birth without drugs, in a calm and wonderful experience, does not make you a better Mum than the lady who has had 3 sections.

Now, I am NOT saying that you shouldn’t make an effort to do what’s best and what’s healthy for your baby. What I am saying is that what YOU deem right and important, might not be the same as another Mum. Our priorities are all different. And that’s OK

Every Mum does what SHE has to do for HER family. And the only person who knows what is right for your family is YOU.

You don’t know another Mum’s circumstance. You don’t know her. You don’t know if she’s happy, or watching you getting into your car to go to work, longing to be you.

You don’t know if she’s driving to work in tears because her Baby cried again as she was dropping him off.

You don’t know how many times a day the Mammy in the office feels a gutwrenching guilt at being away.

You don’t know how the Mum in her kitchen is longing for a conversation.

You don’t know how much the Mum who has to pay bills rather than pay for Baby swim classes longs to be able to sign her baby up.

You don’t know how much time and effort that Mum, looks fab at the school gate, took to just get out the door this morning because she cried all night.

You don’t know how much the Mum who seems to have it all, wishes that she had something else.

You don’t know how much the Mum who is mixing up formula berates herself.

You don’t know Jack sh*t.

As long as your children are fed, and loved and looked after, you’re doing great.

How we parent our children, is nobody’s business but our own. And what other Mums think of your parenting, is absolutely none of YOUR business.

And if you EVER hear yourself dismissing or tutting at another Mammy because she’s doing it differently to you, lift your hand, grab a wooden spoon and hit yourself a good hard slap on the arse with it.

No one likes a Sanctimammy.

4Feb2019

I “So don’t Dooooo social Media”

Posted in Being Me, Uncategorized by Maria Rushe - Blogger and Writer

“I don’t doooooo Facebook.”

“I don’t doooooooooo Instagram.”

“I don’t doooooooo social media.”

Do I have a problem with any of these statements?

Of course not.

There are no rules to say that we have to do any of the social media platforms we chose to sign up to, are there? And I know many people who have signed off social media, for various reasons, and who simply and politely say “I’m not on Facebook anymore” if I make reference to it.

But see, when the “dooooo” is accompanied by a ‘duh’-sneer, then, I “doooo” have a problem.

Because if you are involved in a conversation about something that was on social media, and you announce that you “don’t doooooooo social media”, with a snarled lip and a rolled eye, then what you are dooooooing, my Darling, is being mean.

Because your inference is that the other people in the group are silly or sad or even pathetic for still partaking in the odd scroll.

Now, I am the very Doll who warns often about the ability that Social Media has to suck us into its wormhole; of the powerful effect that it can have on our mood and on our lives. I give talks on reading Instagram and recognising the falsity of it.

I’m pretty adept at knowing myself if and when I need to ease up on my own scrolling.

And yet, I enjoy the interaction I get online. I read interesting articles. I see people I like doing well in things. I’ve met lovely people (and a few loopdies too!) and I enjoy when content is clever.

I can keep up with news and current affairs and I enjoy the conversations that I have; both ONLINE and ABOUT what is online.

It’s becoming quite frequent to hear people say that they’ve deleted their FB app from their phone, or that they’ve logged off Instagram, but many of those who say that they “don’t DOOOOOOO” social media still have their accounts and still have a snoop every so often. Nothing wrong with that is there? No.

And indeed there is nothing wrong with deciding that you are no longer going to share stuff on your social media profiles. If I’m honest, I rarely use my own private account. I write and post on my Blog’s social media. But as for my own personal accounts, they’re pretty quiet.

But do I ever snub or scoff with a “I don’t doooooooooo facebook” or “I have better things to be doing than scrolling thank you,” or “That social media is such a waste of time”?

No.

Because I’m not a judgy pants. I don’t feel the need to demean your decision. And I don’t think I’m better than you because I DOOOO Doooo social media.

Imagine if I did it next time I’m in a restaurant.

Waitress – “Did you see the dish with the tomato?”

Me – “Eh No, I don’t DOOOO tomato?”, raise my eyebrow as if the waitress is the most stupid cretun I’ve even encountered and then dismiss the rest of the conversation as irrelevant, given that it’s based on tomato, (which I don’t dooooo…) How would that go down?

Not well. Because whether I do or don’t do tomato is really not that big a deal, is it?

I’d imagine she’d think me a rude cow actually.

She might even post about it on Facebook…

I wonder how it would work if those of us who do still partake in the scrolling and socialmedia-ing were to say things like

“Eh NO, I don’t doooooo Netflix binges” or

“I don’t dooooooooo gardening. How sad!” or

“I don’t dooooooooo watching TV”.

I wonder how the people who can talk for hours about the TV show they love to watch, or the podcasts they like to listen to, or indeed the books they read, or the crosswords they like to do, would feel, if I looked at them as if they were deluded, and sympathetically announced that “I don’t understand how they could be bothered” or that “I have better things to be doing than colouring in”?

And sure, I probably wouldn’t get an answer would I?

Because I’m posting this on social media and so they’re all too busy off “NOT DOOOOOOOING social media” to see it, aren’t they?

Or are they?

We’ll see!

Speaking of Social Media, are you following me over on my platforms? I’m on Facebook and Instagram and sometimes, on Twitter.

23Jul2018

I am Some Bridey Love Mum

Posted in Lifestyle, Uncategorized by Maria Rushe - Blogger and Writer

Ok so it’s a bit off topic maybe, but my Lovelies have asked for more Lifestyle content, and sure why not?

So tonight is Mammy’s advice to any Brideys in the audience.

The Him and I got married on a Wednesday, over Christmas in 2009, which was (you might remember) the year of THAT BIG SNOW. I’m sure it was a huge inconvenience to many. I’m sure some people grumbled about our choice of date.

But here’s the thing about weddings, they’re a lot like parenting really. Because everyone has an opinion (or ten) and if you try to please everyone, you’ll spin right through the whole event in a whirlwind of stress and worry.

So from an oul married woman to you, the lucky Lovely who is planning your big day, here are some of my words of wisdom…

Firstly, you WILL get opinions thrown at you. As usual, people usually don’t mean any harm or to interfere, and yet it can be exhausting. There is NO WAY of avoiding this. We had our whole wedding arranged and booked for 18 months before we even put a ring on. We got engaged just 10 months before the wedding, announcing our engagement and the date and venue etc in one go… and even then, we had “You need to look at this venue/band/DJ etc.” We didn’t. We’d booked what WE wanted. And it was perfect.

2. Do what YOU want. Don’t book a hotel just because that’s where your 4 sisters got married. Don’t get married in a chapel/church/field because that’s what people expect. Don’t have a video if you don’t want one. Don’t wear heels if you don’t want to. Don’t have a top table if it terrifies you. Don’t have a traditional first dance if you hate the thought of it. Decide with your partner how YOU see your day, and WHERE you see it happening, and do it. You’ll be married the same as everyone else whether you have fancy cars or 47 priests on an altar. Your Day, your way. And yes you may have some people grumbling about how THEY would have expected it, or done it, but unless you’re marrying your great Aunt Jacinta, her opinion isn’t that important.

3. Don’t get caught up in who can and can’t make it. Whoever wants to be there and CAN be there, WILL be there. Life gets in the way some times; illness, no babysitter, kids suddenly sick, weather… And while you might be genuinely sad that someone can’t make it, or doesn’t turn up, the wedding will go on without them and you’ll still be married to the love of your life. The only people who NEED to be there, are you and your partner and whoever is celebrating the marriage for you! We had some guests who didn’t make it (or used the snow as an excuse not to make it!) and yet, the day went on and we’re still married.

4. Stick to your means: Don’t put yourself in debt for 5 years for one day. You don’t NEED most of the things you think you do. Why do you need the most expensive hotel? Why do you need 6 Bridesmaids? Why do you need eleventy billion people there? If you WANT them there, go for it. If you don’t, why are they invited? If (like us) you are both from huge families, don’t be afraid to set limits. Only aunts and uncles, or first cousins only, or adults only… or only the family members you see and spend time with? Imagine! Imagine NOT inviting the cousin you haven’t seen since you were 4, or the aunty who you’re pretty sure despises you? Imagine!

If you are going to be paying for this wedding yourselves, YOU are in charge of what, when, how and who…(If getting help, of course the people who are helping to fund it should be respected and included in plans.) Yes of course, many of us want to keep everyone happy, especially our parents, but it is YOUR day and if you are going to have to leave out your team mates or workmates so some schoolmate of your Mum’s (who you don’t know) can come, it might be time to have a chat with Mum. Surround yourselves with the people who mean the most to YOU. (Both of our sets of parents hosted a table each at ours. It worked perfectly for everyone. Just a suggestion!)

5. Say NO. “We want to get you a magician as a gift.” “We’d love to get you doves as a gift.” “I’d love you to wear my veil.” ALL of these are kind gestures and if they suit you, go with them. But if you hate magicians, don’t want to see any birds on the day (unless they’re on your plate) and don’t want to wear a veil, JUST SAY NO. But I might offend someone… Are they you? Are they your partner? Are they getting married? No? Well then, they’ll get over it BECAUSE IT’S NOT THEIR WEDDING DAY!

6. To Kid or not to Kid… OOOOOOOOOh, yes. I am going there. You can probably guess where I’m going with this. Do you WANT kids at your wedding? Then THAT’s your answer. If you have kids, chances are you’ll be glad of some company for them. If you have nieces and nephews, you’ll most likely want them there. I’m talking OTHER people’s kids. It’s so difficult to draw a line here and you’ll always get “Well if the kids aren’t invited, we can’t go…” And while this is sad, it’s not your problem.

If we are invited to a wedding and the kids are invited too, unless it’s their aunt or uncle, they ain’t going NOWHERE! If we’re invited to a wedding and can’t get a babysitter, we don’t go. Or one of us goes. It makes us sad, but our kids come first. If we are invited to a wedding without the kids, usually we highkick it up the road, delighted at the prospect of a date day!

Of course, every situation is different and there are things to consider, (eg. Your friend’s Baby is 5 weeks old and she’s breastfeeding tends to be a genuine enough one), but if it’s someone who has 3 kids and just wants to bring them, then NO. This is hard to do. It causes problems. It did at ours. But we stuck to our guns and only had the first cousins, the youngest of whom was 5. Outside of that, nope. Some people didn’t come. We were sad. We’re still married though.

7. Delegate: If (like me) you are a complete Monica, this can be hard. But rather than getting stressed about what needs to be done the week or day before, delegate. I only had one grown up BM. Thankfully she is as OCD as I am, but she took charge of things like collecting dresses and flowers and such, allowing me to spend the day before my wedding relaxed, getting my nails done and going for tea with Himself. I did the same the day before hers. She gave me a to-do list. I dood it. And never mind the BMs, I bet you have a friend or two who aren’t in the wedding party but who’d love to help with stuff? Let them. Don’t spend the week before your wedding so busy that you miss the excitement of it.

8. On the Day: 1. Between courses at the meal, we went to 2 or 3 tables to say hi to our guests. It only took a few minutes and it meant that we didn’t feel obliged to spend hours after the meal walking around tables. 2. Every so often, we’d meet to take it all in. Just us. He’d nod across or I’d catch his eye and we’d go to the bar, on our own, have a drink and watch the fun unfolding around us. If we hadn’t, we wouldn’t have seen each other all evening AND we’d have missed his cousins doing a human pyramid on the dancefloor!

9. Does it matter? Problems will arise and issues will present themselves. The people you THINK will be problematic or stressful, are usually the opposite. No. The drama Llama usually comes in the person you’d least expect. No matter what arises, stop and ask yourself, Does it really matter? Does it really matter if John Joe and Jacinta won’t come if Nancy is invited? Does it really matter if your hotel tell you they have to change the layout of the room. Does it really matter if your invitations have the wrong shade of mauve on the ribbons? Does it really matter if Uncle Jenny doesn’t like the band? NO. So unless the problem is going to affect you and your Him or Her getting married and declaring your love to each other, feck it. It doesn’t matter.

10. Enjoy. Yes it’s cliched and it’s easier said than done sometimes, but your wedding day REALLY should be THE best day EVER. And it will be if you remember that table plans and flowers and bouquets and all that jazz are superfluous. Only have them if you want them. (Ditch the table pan. I’ve been to so many weddings recently where bar the front row of tables of immediate family, the rest of the hall was free-for-all. Worked great. Allow other people to help, do what YOU want and remember what’s important to YOU.

And if you disagree with anything I’ve written, that’s fine too. My way obviously isn’t how EVERYONE would do it. You don’t have to agree. You do what is right for YOU.

I loved every second of being a Bride. I loved every second of our wedding day. I’d do it all over again in the morning… and I’d even marry the same Him.

If you are getting married, I wish you all the love in the world. Enjoy every magical moment, however and wherever you’re doing it.

Mammy x

The S-Mum

…the superbly honest blog of a Thoroughly Modern Mammy

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Sanctimammies Toddle On By

I am Some Bridey Love Mum