Mom’s Corner: Back to school judging

I am worried about my kids going back to school and daycare, but I’m just as worried about the backlash from other parents for doing so.

It can be hard to judge what is right or wrong these days as a parent.

“Breast is best.”

Not for everyone.

“Don’t feed your underweight 5-month-old food yet-” even though the doctor told you to.

“Don’t sleep train your 9-month-old. They will learn to fall asleep by themselves.”

Stop it.

How in the world do we, as parents, figure out what is right and wrong for our children? Why do we rely so much on what other people think of us when it comes to our kids?

We are in a touchy world right now. So many people have different ideas of what is right or wrong and many are not afraid to express their opinions.

Take this pandemic that we are in, and try to imagine what parents are thinking about when sending our kids back to school in September.

I don’t know about you, but I am terrified. I am terrified for my family, our bank account, our livelihoods.

But most of all, I am terrified about what other people will have to say about my choice in September as a parent with young kids.

My youngest is classified as immuno-compromised during COVID-19. He has asthma and takes puffers.

As soon as the cold fall and winter air hits our province, my three-year-old is down for the count with a respiratory infection–not just a bad cough, runny nose, but 42°C fevers to the point where he is shaking uncontrollably and on the verge of a seizure.

He doesn’t move, eat or drink for up to three days and sometimes longer.

When he got his first bad one at 11 months old, it put him a full month and a half behind on learning how to walk. We could barely recognize our rambunctious baby.

So yes, I’m scared and I freak out when he starts to get a runny nose.

But, I will still be sending him to daycare with his puffers and hoping for the best. I will still be sending my 6-year-old to Grade 1 and I am preparing for the backlash that I will receive from others.

I need to work and my kids need to socialize and have a proper education.

That shouldn’t even matter. Not even in the slightest. I should be able to march my daughter up to school and kiss her goodbye without other people judging me because I decided that is what’s best for my child.

We tried the at home learning. It doesn’t work for her.

She has a learning disability and she needs the classroom environment.

She was in French her first two years of school and now she is behind because of shutdowns.

And then, there are the people that want to homeschool their kids. Does it work for them? Most likely.

Do we have the right to judge and say they are depriving their children of an education? Not even close.

If it works for them, then awesome! Because it doesn’t work for you, that doesn’t mean they are doing wrong by their children because you have a different view.

We need to stop being so close minded and act with compassion, realizing the view is different from the other side. What is right for you, isn’t always what is right for them.

Stay healthy folks.