Thursday, December 22, 2011

Judge Not Lest Ye be Judged...


No, I am not a religious fanatic, in fact, I can honestly say in 28 years, the only time I've entered a church is for weddings and funerals.  However, I do have to frequently remind myself of this Biblical cliche (especially when reading posts on Facebook, it seems).  However, unfortunately, making judgments and forming opinions is an involuntary human process.  After having been recently pregnant and now being a mom, I have encountered many incidents when friends, family, and strangers alike would criticize my actions and offer unwanted advice.  I recall an incident when we had not even told anyone that we were expecting.  We stopped at a local bar on our way home from running errands so Red could grab a quick beer to say hi to friends and I ordered a ginger ale (which, I will admit, was slightly out of character for me).  Of course, the bartender quickly exclaimed 'Oh my god!  YOU'RE PREGNANT'.  Clearly, the look on my face after the outburst was a dead give away.  Thank god the locals at our very small town establishment found out before family.  She then informed me that she would not serve me ginger ale because 'all that sugar was not good for the baby'.  Insert huff and eye roll.  What the else am I supposed to drink, oh by the way, don't mind me drinking a natural remedy for nausea.  So, thinking I was doing the right thing, I ordered cranberry juice.  Nope, still not good enough, that too has too much sugar.  Water it is.  Stay hydrated she advised.  Thank you Dr. Bartender, OB-GYN.  A few weeks later, I took my truck on a ride on its roof after encountering a patch of black ice and was, very thankfully, unscathed, except for being very sore.  Being pregnant, the only thing I could take for the pain was Tylenol.  After posting on Facebook that I was taking said drug, Dr. Bartender commented that I was not only doing damage to my own liver, but hurting the baby by taking the Tylenol.  Ironically, my doctor who does actually have a medical degree, told me it was fine.  I learned a quick lesson in being very discreet about my postings (and also editing my 'friends' list).

This blog has been inspired by reading recent status updates of a newly pregnant girl on Facebook who posts many statuses that I think would make any real doctor question this young lady's behavior.  She also, posts that people should be more 'considerate' to her.  If I can offer some advice to moms out there, if you think that you would like to post unconventional behavior to the public, just remember that you will receive some guff about it.  Don't cry about it, take your licks.  My mom always said that people will treat you how you present yourself.  She is right.  However, if your intention is to gain attention, then by all means, feel free to chronicle your every move.

No comments:

Post a Comment