Receiving Help and Getting Advice from Another Mom

I'm a person who feels that she shouldn't dispense parenting advice to other mothers. Most of us know that one person in our lives who thinks she's the expert on every aspect of motherhood and gladly lets everyone know how inept they are as mothers. I'm not that mother. I don't say anything to other mothers unless they ask me how I handle a situation. Basically, I'm still learning how to be a mother myself.

The best piece of advice another mother gave me was to trust my instincts. She said you know your child better than anyone, and you have to have the confidence to know that you are making the right decision. She told me that, as a young mother, people were always questioning the choices she made for her child, ready to correct every little thing she did.

She said she finally came to the realization that just because some parenting tip works for someone else doesn't mean it will work for you. She reminded me that women with adult children don't know everything either and that some of those old wives tales that some people still adhere to are actually dangerous. She told me how upset she'd get when other women would tell her to do things that she, as a nurse, knew were unhealthy for children.

I appreciated that advice from her, and I think about it every time someone gives me unasked for advice, especially when that advice is designed to undermine my motherhood abilities. Don't get me wrong. There are times when I want parenting and motherhood advice, but I don't need someone making suggestions about every move I make.