Just what to people expect you to say when they ask you this question? Yesterday Amelia and I went to the post office and unfortunately for me, Amelia decided that she’d like her bottle half an hour early. Great, thanks for that, fabulous timing. So, in true baby form, she screamed the whole of tescos down. Just as I was trying to shhhh and pat her to calm her for just a few minutes until I could escape the shop and find somewhere to sit down and give her a feed – I hear a voice behind me… “ohhh isn’t she a good baby?” “Normally” I reply. As soon as I get out and sit on the bench to feed her, another old woman walks past with “Awww, is she good?” Well, she’s quiet because I’m feeding her and seeing as she was made to wait a few extra minutes in tescos and thought I wasn’t going to feed her, then yes, I suppose now she’s being quite good. So I reply “Yes, she’s great”
So, what would they say if my actual reply was “actually no, she’s a really bad baby, do you want her?”. Of course I couldnt do such a thing and Amelia is not a “bad” baby at all, but are they really interested in an honest answer or do they just want to hear you say yes? I can’t figure it out.
I think a better question would be “how are you getting on?” or “how is she getting on?”. I don’t think I’ve ever asked anybody if their baby is good or not, to me, its just such a bizarre question to ask.
So, all you people out there who ask new mums “is she good” think about it – do you really want the honest answer?!
1 comment:
I have thought a lot about this. I don't believe that very young babies can be good or bad. They are just acting on their instinct and need food, clean nappies, warm clothes, somewhere to sleep and their mummy and daddy. If they cry a lot or don't sleep through, it's not because they are "bad".
Once they get to toddler age, it's a whole different ball game, but for newborns "is she good?" is a nonsense question. I just smile and say "oh yes".
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