A warning to the baby-phobic
Comments
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Baby Carrier wrote: Before I was a parent I lived in the Slope and I swore I would not become a mother who acted like she was the 1st one ever to have a baby. Mothers do act like they OWN the sidewalks, and you should let them go first no matter what. When I don't have my kids, I let them think I'm just another single person. Deal with it. Hey, I have kids too, and I never expected special treatment unless it involved them crying etc...I have ALWAYS been aware of sidewalk space. AND, I used a SLING. GUess what-babies LOVE slings--and they don't take up any room! Upon the birth of my 2nd- we used a single stroller and a sling. So no, PSPs and NYCPs, I will not get out of your way. We must all get along...so stop making the rest of us mothers look bad!! I HATE YOUR SUV AND BUGABOOS!!
Thank you Baby Carrier!
Kensingtonmom, your bad behavior (on this board) and the bad behavior of some jerky parents is what is being attacked on this board. Now piss off and leave the board to us civil teens.
a hem, I mean, "please piss off"[/b] -
pitu wrote: [quote=Baby Carrier]Before I was a parent I lived in the Slope and I swore I would not become a mother who acted like she was the 1st one ever to have a baby. Mothers do act like they OWN the sidewalks, and you should let them go first no matter what. When I don't have my kids, I let them think I'm just another single person. Deal with it. Hey, I have kids too, and I never expected special treatment unless it involved them crying etc...I have ALWAYS been aware of sidewalk space. AND, I used a SLING. GUess what-babies LOVE slings--and they don't take up any room! Upon the birth of my 2nd- we used a single stroller and a sling. So no, PSPs and NYCPs, I will not get out of your way. We must all get along...so stop making the rest of us mothers look bad!! I HATE YOUR SUV AND BUGABOOS!!
Thank you Baby Carrier!
Kensingtonmom, your bad behavior (on this board) and the bad behavior of some jerky parents is what is being attacked on this board. Now piss off and leave the board to us civil teens.
That's a bit harsh, no?
And with regards to baby carrying: yes, I think we are all aware that babies love slings, but at a certain point/weight carrying a child is simply not feasible. There was a six month window during which I could not do without a double stroller. I also could not wait for the eldest to graduate from the damn thing, allowing me to revert to single stroller use. Rest assured, during that six months I felt like an absolute nuisance, and avoided the main drag whenever possible. I think this is typical, as is our preference for walking/subwaying over driving.
What are "PSPs and NYCPs" BTW? -
Kensingtonmom, your bad behavior (on this board) and the bad behavior of some jerky parents is what is being attacked on this board. Now piss off and leave the board to us civil teens.
a hem, I mean, "please piss off"[/b]
Remember Kensington mom when you have children. HA! Then you will get off our self-rightouous high horse about who owns what percentage of the sidewalk. Then you will be too tired to be out measuring if your rights were possibly infringed upon by someone else in an extremely overpopulated neighborhood. We all agree the slope has some extremely privleged jerky parents. That doesn't mean that everyone with a double stroller is a jerky privileged parent. A double stroller is an unfortunate necessity. And yes, the larger strollers work better when the kids weigh more and the center of gravity shifts. The small ones are very hard to push -
Kensingtonmom wrote: Remember Kensington mom when you have children. HA! Then you will get off our self-rightouous high horse about who owns what percentage of the sidewalk. Then you will be too tired to be out measuring if your rights were possibly infringed upon by someone else in an extremely overpopulated neighborhood. We all agree the slope has some extremely privleged jerky parents. That doesn't mean that everyone with a double stroller is a jerky privileged parent. A double stroller is an unfortunate necessity. And yes, the larger strollers work better when the kids weigh more and the center of gravity shifts. The small ones are very hard to push
Your repeated attempts to justify the antisocial behavior of the jerky stroller moms just doesn't jibe with your simultaneous attempts to distance yourself from them. -
I'm feeling very nostalgic for Mark Twain Junior High right now. Thanks everyone for bringing me back there!
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Subject: Baby hating
I have a 3 year old daughter, and i have to admit i have been to the t lounge, and to tell the truth i do not like it.Parents treat their kids as if they are made of gold, i clearly remember my daughter bumping into a kid and ofcourse he started crying, my daughter went up to him to give him a kiss and his mother screamed at her, don't kiss him!!It really insulted me, i never went back.. -
Subject: Baby hating
I have a 3 year old daughter, and i have to admit i have been to the t lounge, and to tell the truth i do not like it.Parents treat their kids as if they are made of gold, i clearly remember my daughter bumping into a kid and ofcourse he started crying, my daughter went up to him to give him a kiss and his mother screamed at her, don't kiss him!!It really insulted me, i never went back.. -
Subject: Re: Baby hating
Anonymous wrote: i clearly remember my daughter bumping into a kid and ofcourse he started crying, my daughter went up to him to give him a kiss and his mother screamed at her, don't kiss him!! It really insulted me, i never went back..
that is a great story!
*don't kiss him*
what an encapsulation of the freakatude present in our little corner of the world -
Subject: Re: Baby hating
Anonymous wrote: i clearly remember my daughter bumping into a kid and ofcourse he started crying, my daughter went up to him to give him a kiss and his mother screamed at her, don't kiss him!! It really insulted me, i never went back..
that is a great story!
*don't kiss him*
what an encapsulation of the freakatude present in our little corner of the world -
I'm organizing a Saturday vigilante squad to rid PS of double-wides. Part of the plan is to walk two-abreast down the street and watch how hyper-caffeinated mothers freak out over their loss of because-I'm rich-and-moved-to-Park-Slope-and-I-must-have-what-I-want-right-away right away.
In the 60s and 70s PS was a dump, in the 80s hip, in 90s invaded by Wall Streeters, and now intolerable - who knew we'd all be in a migratory pattern for over-indulged Manhattanites breeding too frequently on their way to Westchester or CT? -
Congratulations! You fit the maximum number of shallow stereotypes into three sentences. There should be some kind of prize.
May I respond?
I drink caffeine only moderately. I am not rich. I was lucky enough to move here before I'd have gotten priced out (12 years ago). I was born in Brooklyn, have never lived in Manhattan, will never move to "Westchester or CT," and how dare you judge a whole class of people with such a sweeping, absurd generalization like "breeding too frequently"?
I didn't plan on conceiving twins, I have no way to get them around without a double stroller, I am a good neighbor and a considerate pedestrian.
When I first moved here the ridiculous stereotype of the neighborhood was that it was overrun by radical, granola, too-many-cats-owning lesbians. I guess every few years a different group gets maligned and now it's our turn. Perhaps the next easy target will be the single, disaffected, navel-gazing hipsters in their 30s wearing "ironic" t-shirts and complaining complaining complaining about everything under the sun -- talk about "I must have what I want right away," Livetotravel, and the need for immediate self-gratification.
See how easy it is to judge a whole group of people without knowing any of them? It's fun!
One important, serious point I'd like to make before happily saying goodbye to this subject is that before I became a parent I knew exactly how to raise everyone else's kid in the neighborhood. Keep in mind, all the childless posters with advice and opinions like "My kids will walk everywhere!" and "I'll never go out for a cup of coffee in the morning with my kid!" that circumstances change, and sometimes they are beyond our control. You think your child's public persona can be completely controlled by the level of effort you put in as a parent. It can't. You get the personality you get. If you happen to get a challenging child, you do the best you can, you teach the kid to respect others and use good manners, etc., but you're not going to make a feisty kid a mellow one, no matter how hard you try. You think you will bike everywhere with your single child, then find out you're having twins. You get a double stroller because they are the sturdiest type and easier to maneuver than the front-to-back kind. It's not your first choice, but it's a necessity. And people direct their hostile glares at you every time you need to walk on 7th Avenue, as though you are shooting puppies instead of trying to mail a letter. You take your child to Dizzy's 10 times for lunch and she's a doll, quiet and charming and well-behaved; the 11th time she's coming down with something or extra tired or just pissed for no reason and she whines nonstop. It happens. You ask for the check and leave as soon as you can, but it's too late: the woman at the next table thinks you are a spoiled "hyper-caffeinated mother" who is ruining the neighborhood by daring to take her brat out in public.
Having a child is in my opinion one of the most humbling life experiences there is. You do the best you can but you can't control everything all the time. You learn to be more tolerant, even though inside it still kills you that your child doesn't immediately obey every command of yours, which is how you were sure it would be back when you were childless in Park Slope, judging all the stupid parents and their jerky children ruining your day in the park. -
citizen jane wrote: One important, serious point I'd like to make before happily saying goodbye to this subject is that before I became a parent I knew exactly how to raise everyone else's kid in the neighborhood. Keep in mind, all the childless posters with advice and opinions like "My kids will walk everywhere!" and "I'll never go out for a cup of coffee in the morning with my kid!" that circumstances change, and sometimes they are beyond our control. You think your child's public persona can be completely controlled by the level of effort you put in as a parent. It can't. You get the personality you get. If you happen to get a challenging child, you do the best you can, you teach the kid to respect others and use good manners, etc., but you're not going to make a feisty kid a mellow one, no matter how hard you try. You think you will bike everywhere with your single child, then find out you're having twins. You get a double stroller because they are the sturdiest type and easier to maneuver than the front-to-back kind. It's not your first choice, but it's a necessity. And people direct their hostile glares at you every time you need to walk on 7th Avenue, as though you are shooting puppies instead of trying to mail a letter. You take your child to Dizzy's 10 times for lunch and she's a doll, quiet and charming and well-behaved; the 11th time she's coming down with something or extra tired or just pissed for no reason and she whines nonstop. It happens. You ask for the check and leave as soon as you can, but it's too late: the woman at the next table thinks you are a spoiled "hyper-caffeinated mother" who is ruining the neighborhood by daring to take her brat out in public.
Good post! So true but nobody can really tell you what it is like to be a parent--it is much harder and much more fun than I had expected.
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as much as I hate to reinvigorate this topic, I had a totally random experience that made me think of this thread yesterday. a friend of mine who used to live here but now lives in London was visiting and we went to park slope for brunch. we went to the park cafe (original destination was gorilla but we realized we were hungry, too) and. er. omg. wtf?
there was a baby stroller in the entryway behind the door. okay, no biggie. lots of kids, but they're all in their seats, eating their food. so far normal. all of a sudden, this guy comes in with like 7 kids. and one of the kids is like LEANING on our table, his hair in my toast and beverages. SO NASTY. and the dad-esque person is like glaring at me for glaring at him. I said something like "watch your head, kid", at that moment more concerned the kid was going to tip the table and knock himself out. the dad-esque dude just GLARED at me. ugh. fuck him. he herds the whole group into the back somewhere and I dismiss the incident. then some other guy comes in pushing one of those three wheel strollers and is like, shoving it along the tables. the management asks him to leave the stroller outside or in the foyer, because it clearly doesn't fit. and the guy is like "sure sure yeah yeah". so 5 minutes of disruption because this jackass can't see that the stroller doesn't fucking fit. my friend and I, both ardent non-breeders, considered offering to buy the couple with the 7 kids a pack of trojans.
now, not to just rag on the people with kids and the kids -- maybe a lot of people in p.slope are just kinda slow? to top the 45 minute meal's absurdity, some woman tried to shove her bicycle into the foyer next to the two baby carriages (which had the area so blocked up only one person could come through at a time as it was). then, her friends had the balls to bitch to the management that their friend was delayed because she had to go lock up her bike and had left the lock at home. er. WHATEVER ya moron.
anyway, p.slope. yay gorilla and total, boo dumbfucks with wheels.
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Subject: baby-hating
I do think for the past several years an arrogance has attached itself to parenting. I recall about a year ago in Greenwich CT, a father actually stopped my car like a traffic cop, so that his wife and babe could cross. It appeared there was no emergency situation and had he just waited a moment everyone could have crossed without inconveniencing me. I think he just wanted to make a little public show of his regard for the precious cargo of his offspring.
I get particularly annoyed with the assumption that the inconvenience of children is something childless people are also expected to absorb. A woman at a party I recently attended said that there is a lot of consternation in her workplace among parents who feel put-upon because they have to dig into their personal days and sick days when thier children are sick. They are advocating a policy wherein folks with children actually get more sick days than everyone else. Considering that they already get two and three times the value in benefits as their childless counterparts, this strikes me as particularly sickening, since it will also be the single and parentless who pick up the slack when their brats are ailing.
If you don't want kids cutting into your income, liesure time or vacation days, don't have them. Their your problem, not mine. -
I love babies. too bad i dont have one of my own. blah to all you baby haters
. i being around them, when they smile puts a smile on my face etc.. -
alafairnadia wrote: my friend and I ... considered offering to buy the couple with the 7 kids a pack of trojans.
:shock: 8)
welcome back from your holidays alafairnadia !! -
FLUTE wrote: [quote=alafairnadia] my friend and I ... considered offering to buy the couple with the 7 kids a pack of trojans.
:shock: 8)
welcome back from your holidays alafairnadia !!
right? happy holidays, doll! but that shit was ghetto! -
Subject: Stroller manifesto
I read the writer/bartender of the stroller manifesto was let go. Dscrimination is discrimination even against privileged people. Can't say I am shedding a tear. -
People, you're tearing this community apart! Can't we all just get along?
Focus on the common enemy - Lobos.
They must be stopped. -
Anonymous wrote: People, you're tearing this community apart! Can't we all just get along?
wait, WHAT?
Focus on the common enemy - Lobos.
They must be stopped. -
alafairnadia wrote: [quote=Anonymous]People, you're tearing this community apart! Can't we all just get along?
wait, WHAT?
Focus on the common enemy - Lobos.
They must be stopped.
So much for the contributions of Guest posters...
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friendlypitbull wrote: This thread has gotten ridiculous (Thought I'd say that in case you didnt notice) - It is simply unproveable that PS parents are a "breed apart" and
True, there would be no way to quantify it, and thus prove it.
yet everyone is entitled to their opinion.
I do find, however, that PS parents tend toward the permissive in dealing with their children. I've got friends (3 seperate couples, 4 different kids), who - for whatever reason - tolerate being punched and insulted by their 4 and 5 year olds. In public.
I've lived in a lot of places, and it's the first time I've seen behavior like that accepted by adults. I also find the 6-year-old-in-a-stroller trend odd.
I acknowledge that this isn't proof of anything, just my observation. -
And the Tea Lounge has still got it:
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