Maybe you’ve decided to homeschool your kids. Maybe you’ve decided that you want six kids, or maybe you only want one (or none!). Maybe you want to adopt children, or become a foster parent. Maybe you need to move for your job, or maybe you want to become a full time stay-at-home parent. Maybe you have a lenient discipline style, or a very strict one. Whatever your parenting choices, they are yours. Sometimes it’s nice to get helpful advice from people who have been through the same situations, but ultimately, you know what is best for yourself and your family, and no one else. Your parents, friends, or in-laws might have their own opinions, but it can often come off as critical. When you find people criticizing how you raise your children, it can be an extremely emotional event– even if they mean well. But it’s important to keep in mind that it is your life, and that all decisions are yours to make. For more on dealing with people that criticize your family choices, read this post by Rachel at The Realistic Mom:
-Develop some kind but firm responses
-Take the positive and constructive element out of any criticism before you brush the whole thing off.
–Differentiate between concern and arrogance
-Remain teachable
-Draw boundaries with people when necessary