When my aunt V had her babies, she didn't want anyone in the family to get near them (she's a bit neurotic) for fear that we would give them germs. Anyway...I don't know anything about babies partly because of this, so it was fun playing with baby Sym, but even more fun to hear my mother sound off on baby rearing techniques and how they change all the time.
On babies who are always regurgitating their milk: "I used to get naked in the shower, feed your sister, wait until she was sick, and then we'd have a shower together.Your father sometimes joined us. Stop smiling."
On babies and crying: "Babies sometimes cry to get attention, you musn't spoil them by always catering to them. Let them scream when they've already been fed and changed.Also Mozart works perfectly on angry babies.Not the Magic Flute. But chamber music for sure."
On baths and babies: "When your grandmother was young, they advocated three baths a day, to occupy all those stay-at-home mothers. When I was pregnant with you, I thought that I would do my best, but ignore strict guidelines. I had fun inventing my own rules."
On doctors and weight gain: "I was always criticized by your doctor because of how fat you were. What was I supposed to do? Put a baby on a fucking diet?"
On people who criticize baby names: "For Heaven's sake. Give the baby a boring middle name and if later he hates being called Montana, he can revert to Paul."
In France, babies are not supposed to be a public nuisance. Don't bring your baby to a movie. Don't bring your baby to the museum. DON'T BRING YOUR BABY TO THE OPERA. Terrible situations. French audiences do not enjoy babies. They will make remarks.
No one complains about babies in planes, since it's not like the poor parents had a choice. They're stuck with the howling baby too. But once I got upgraded to business class on a Paris-Chicago flight, and I offered my upgrade to a lady who was travelling alone with her baby, thinking it would be nicer for her to relax a bit with some Champagne and a lot of leg room. The baby was as quiet as a mouse.
So maybe babies belong in business?
N.B: Thank you for your comments on my last post. As usual an outside perspective works wonders! You are very kind.
Well, That Was Fun
Il y a 3 mois
My brother and his wife are definitely of the school that says that their baby will get sick if anyone else gets remotely close. A bit neurotic, indeed.
RépondreSupprimerI belonged in the camp where I took my kids everywhere. They were going to get sick regardless of what I did - so why limit my lifestyle by being paranoid. They are actually both pretty healthy now.
RépondreSupprimerI do love the advice of your mother! Make your own rules is really the key in my opinion! :)
~Emmy
Thankfully, I've missed out on those sorts of observations from my mom. She spent our mother/son time teaching me to appreciate big band music and dancing to it! :-)
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