My response was, "Of course I always 'think' I'm right. If I thought I was wrong I would change my opinion to the one I thought was right!" I have plenty of confidence in my mind and it's ability to reason & reach conclusions.
I woke up thinking about this because of a discussion I had last night on Twitter. A single mom left her 13 year old home alone for 7 days while she flew to Taiwan on a business trip. My perspective; what's the big deal. Overall, opinions varied (Kelly over at KellyNaturally.com blogged about it).
The discussion, for me. boiled down to personal autonomy and the relationship between rights and responsibilities.
A single parent who is solely responsible for a child also has the sole right to make decisions regarding that child. After all, insisting that she hire a babysitter for a teenager for a seven day business trip is likely a very expensive endeavor, one seen as unnecessary by me, and apparently by the mother in question. What political scientists call an unfunded mandate (making a rule without providing the means to enforce /follow through on it).
I then disclosed that when my son was an infant I often left him alone in his crib for about 30 minutes during his naptime so that I could get grocery shopping done. This was seen by many of my followers as even more controversial than leaving a 13 year old home alone for a week. I stand by my decision.
Why? Because I can. Because no one else was there & it was my decision to make. I made it. You're welcome.
Parenting is, after all, simply using your best judgement. There are no manuals to consult. The idea of what constitutes good parenting varies from culture to culture. Several of my followers pointed out that in many cultures a 13 year old would be married with children of her own to care for.
We all know that being a leader (isn't that what a parent is after all) requires not only decision making, but commitment. Both of which take confidence in your own ability to think, and you cannot be a good parent without being a confident one.
Do not condemn the judgment of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong. ~Dandemis
So, the next time someone judges your parenting decisions (no matter who they are or what type of 'authority' they claim to have) take a deep breath and remind yourself that they, like you, are only human. We are all born equally autonomous. Your freedom to parent as you see fit cannot be taken away, only given away.
Namaste,
Anita
