According to the Urban Dictionary a Mamma Bear is:
1. A mom who can be cuddly and lovable but also has
a ferocious side when it's necessary to protect her cubs. can be
biological mom, or the head of a group.
2. A tough, aggressive, and protective mother. Often going to extreme lengths to protect her child, usually her son, and herself.
Mama Bear, what a funny expression. Until having a baby of my own, I never understood it. I had always thought it was just a funny cutesie term for moms in general. NOW I know it is a carnal emotion/reaction to ANY interaction with your baby outside of you and your baby daddy. It is protective instinct that may cause extreme reactions toward anyone or thing that crosses a line when it comes to interaction with your baby.
Usually, I am a pretty calm person. I hate confrontation, but when it comes to my baby, my inner animal can quickly be freed and suddenly I go from a non-confrontational person to a very protective parent. I don't know about other moms out there, but the following are a list of things that cause my inner mamma bear to be unleashed.
First, under no circumstance is it EVER appropriate (unless otherwise expressed by the baby mama and daddy) for ANYONE to ever stick their fingers in my babies mouth. This does not mean baby will not try to suck on hands and fingers, but no one should just stick their finger in my babies mouth! SICK! Would you like it if I just randomly stuck my finger in your mouth and started feeling around your teeth, cheeks, and gums? NOPE. Not to mention all the germs on hands and under fingernails. COME ON! While still in the mouth region... Please refrain from kissing my sweet, adorable, HEALTHY baby on the lips. If you feel like you must kiss my baby, I believe babies have large foreheads and big cheeks that are just perfect to plant those puckered lips on. :) Never blow on my baby's face... that's just weird.
Another thing that really gets my blood boiling is people calling babies fat. I was blessed with a BIG BOY. He is 100% proportional and if truth be told, he is thin for his length (but that's neither here nor there). We all think babies with big cheeks and adorable little fat rolls are sooo stinking cute! It is one thing to think it, it is another thing to tell a mother that her baby is fat, no matter how adoringly or well meaning the comment is. NEVER CALL SOMEONE'S BABY FAT! IT IS JUST PLAIN RUDE! If you just can't hold back your opinions on someones baby, then please find another word to use to describe the sweet little bundle of joy. Hint: CHUNK is just as bad.
If the baby is not yours, PLEASE DON'T TOUCH (unless you have gotten some kind of permission from the parents). It takes every ounce of control to not smack the hands of people when I take Hudson out with me and people including complete strangers feel the need to grab his hands, poke, or touch his face. I do my absolute best to block unwanted advances by turning around, stepping in-between the aggressor and my innocent baby and simply moving out of the way. Unfortunately my stealth maneuvering doesn't always work. Feel free to look, but if you start touching my baby without my permission be prepared for the possible wrath that will befall you.
There is no one right way to raise and parent a child. What a beautiful and comforting thing to know! It drives me absolutely crazy when people give unsolicited advice and force their child-raising views and opinions on you (me). Let's be honest, it's just criticizing in disguise. If you have children (or if their all grown up) PLEASE REMEMBER, you had your chance to raise your own children. NOW, its my turn. I understand you have already been through what I am currently going through, and probably have tons of great advice. BUT I'm a "figure it out as I go" kind of girl and will be thoroughly annoyed and offended when you start telling me what to do and how to care for my baby. He is not only alive after 6 months but amazingly, he is happy and healthy too! The pediatrician and I are really tight and between him, Hudson's daddy, and myself, I would say we are doing just fine all by ourselves. I promise that if not pushed or forced, I WILL seek advice WHEN I NEED IT. Until then please, and I say this with love, BACK OFF! If you don't have children, then you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about so it is best to just keep all thoughts to yourself. Chances are you are completely wrong and when you do finally have children of your own, you will feel like an idiot for saying some of the things you once said. I know this from personal experience. Learn from my mistakes and just keep it to your self.
Steve and I are the parents. Let us worry about Hudson. Will will do everything in our power to protect him and keep him healthy. Everyone else, please just enjoy spending time with him. As parents, we have the sole responsibility to care for Hudson (change diapers, feed, bathe, clothe...). We promise that we have it under control. If he is sick, we will take the necessary steps to care for him. We will teach him, feed him, clothe him, bathe him.... All anyone else has to do is love on him and play with him. Please don't question his health or care. It just isn't your place. As a stay a home mom, I not only grew this sweet little boy, but I am with him 24/7. So, please don't come to me telling me about MY BABY. Chances are, I ALREADY KNOW! No one needs to know his poop schedule, temperature, how he ate today... except us (his parents) and if necessary the pediatrician. To everyone else, you are more than welcome to love him, hold him (as long as your aren't one of those grabby strangers from the grocery store...), and be a part of his life, just remember we are the parents. We've got this.
So, to sum it up... Keep opinions and hands to yourself, unless mommy and daddy say otherwise. If you choose to go against these simple commonsense guidelines... beware of the mamma bear!
THE END!
*If you know me at all, then you know that this was written with a sarcastic fun tone with a hint of truth. :) If you read this and are offended, then either you are currently doing the above mentioned annoyances and should stop immediately, or you have read and taken this the wrong way (and probably don't know me well at all).
I would love to know what causes your inner mamma bear to be unleashed!
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! This is so great!! Tell me about it!
ReplyDelete1. Strangers wanting to take pictures of my babies. They're not circus freaks; they're triplets. Get over it and move on, people. No, you may not take my babies' picture.
2. Strangers in my babies' faces. Last weekend we went to a church yard sale. I was innocently rummaging through baby clothes when I suddenly realized I was surrounded by strangers. And my babies were as well. Violet starts screaming. The five random people around her press closer and one grabs her arm and says, "Oh, this one wasn't getting enough attention!" I breathe in and out, lean over my poor, traumatized daughter and calm her with her paci, all the while thinking "no, she has five people she doesn't know crammed in her face! It's called too MUCH attention, idiot!"
3. The inability to do ANYTHING with the girls. At above garage sale, I couldn't even halfway concentrate on the clothes I was sorting through because one dad-gum woman wouldn't leave me alone. She finally walked away for thirty seconds, only to return with a plastic bag and saying, "Here, honey, you just fill up this bag and it'll only be five dollars." I smile and thank her, but inside I groan. Each clothing article was only fifty cents anyway, so I had to find at least 11 things to make it worth it, and doing that with her talking her mouth off at my elbow was nearly impossible.
4. Strangers stopping by our table in restaurants to stare at our babies/ask us personal questions regarding the babies and or their conception. Literally, we'll be talking to each other or have just taken a bite when we're accosted. And it's not just customers. Half the restaurant staff seems to feel it's their right to come ogle and shoot the breeze.
5. Stupid questions/comments, such as "Are they ALL triplets?" "Is the one in the pink a boy?" "All girls! Oh, their poor daddy!" Really, people?
6. Insecure people who feel like they don't "have it as hard as we do" so they overcompensate. Such as, "We had triplets the hard way. Only eighteen months between our three kids!" I'm not even going to comment...
7. People comparing my babies. No, those aren't identical. No, she isn't the "runt." She's just a bit smaller. No, I don't like one more than the others. No, I don't think she's "behind" her sisters. All babies mature and develop on their own schedules.
Whew! Sorry to be so long, but your post certainly resonated with this mama bear!! : )
I don't have a baby yet, but when I do I am going to print this out an give it to all of my friends and family!
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