Some people's kids.

You know, when I was pregnant, a woman I used to work with told me, "The only time everyone feels they have a right to offer you advice or instruction is when you're pregnant or when you have a baby". She was right. When I was pregnant, people were constantly telling me what to do, what to eat, what to avoid, how to sleep, how to give birth, where to give birth, how many pounds I should gain, how important it was to do things their way, etc. As if I looked confused. As if I had asked. Constantly.

But, it was nothing compared to having a baby.

I'm astounded by the nerve of people. Complete strangers will come up and tell me what's wrong with Josh, like they've spent every day of the last five and a half months with him and have any idea whatsoever. As if it's somehow escaped me why my baby is crying or what I should do to help him. It blows my mind! I would never walk up to someone and say, "You know, fuscia really makes your rosacia stand out. You might want to try wearing blue instead" or "You know, you really should cut back on the booze. I think you might be an alcoholic". But because I have a baby, I'm considered open season for advice-givers.

I was in the grocery store one day and Josh was having a fit. A woman walked up to me and told me that he was too hot. I was out walking with him one day and Josh was crying in his stroller. A woman stopped me to tell me he was hungry. I had just fed him before we'd left. And yesterday on the streetcar, I was examining the cradle cap that's returned to Josh's scalp and the woman behind me said, and I'm not kidding, "Don't pick at it, love. It'll be all raw in the sun." Then, when I put Josh's hood up over his head so that the sun wouldn't burn his delicate scalp, the woman chimed in with, "There. Now Mommy's thinking."

This audacity blows my mind. It's completely unjustified and insulting. If I were hitting Josh, then come up and stop me. If I left him in a car, call the police. If I dropped him and he was unconcious, call an ambulance. But if he's crying and I'm trying to comfort him, don't come over and tell me what's wrong. This is not your baby. This is not your situation. This is not something you know anything about, so don't assume like it's your right to speak up. Manners, people!