Parenting is not an easy job and everyone seems to have a different idea of how it needs to be done. For many moms and dads, it becomes almost impossible to have friendships with other parents because the way they parent is so different than the way you parent.
My husband and I are strict on some things — saying please and thank you, not whining, listening to what we say — and chill about others — meal times, foods they eat, and playtime. This means that families who are strict about food might not like us and families who allow their children to whine or use adult words might not be liked by us. It can be hard to find people who jive.
We also hear all kinds of parenting "terms." There are "attachment parents" and "tough love" parents and everyone in between. But here are the 9 Mom Types I see most often:
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The Secretly Judgemental One: This mom talks a great game and is all "free to be you and me" except in her extreme lack of judgment, she is actually extremely judgemental. Say a word against another mom and you are automatically cast aside as a "sanctimommy," which is silly. There ARE some things in parenting that need to be judged.
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The "My Kid Is Always Right" One: This one thinks her child can do no wrong, and nine times out of 10, she will think her kid is in the right. On the tenth time, her kid was "over-tired, overstimulated, or hungry."
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The Perfectionist One: This one insists that her child is in 40 enrichment programs, reads four grade levels ahead of her own, and manages to run the bake sale, work full-time at a prestigious job, weigh 120 toned pounds, and look 10 years younger than she is.
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The One With "Gifted" Children: This one keeps insisting her child is gifted despite no evidence to back up her claim. Sure, she's "gifted" if by "gifted" she means normal.
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The Joiner: This one is involved in everything from the bake sale to the picket line against peanuts in the lunch room. She knows everyone and supports every cause (even opposing ones). The problem, of course, is that she is always joining different things, half of which oppose one another.
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The One Who Hates Her Kid: This one has nothing nice to say about parenting or about her child. Ever. We all say things are hard from time to time and honesty can be a great quality in a fellow mom who is in the trenches with you. But the moms who seem to hate their kids make you feel badly. Her negativity is contagious.
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The One Who Talks: This mom always talks behind everyone's back — "Did you hear Betsy forgot snack for her child? Did you hear Margot is getting a divorce and did you see how she rushed off to work? Only bad moms work." She thinks she is an amazing mom, but seems to forget that half of being a good parent is not being a cruel person. Unfortunately for her, she is missing the "decent human" gene.
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The One Who Sanitizes: This mom always has her Clorox wipes at the ready. Her child has no special needs, but nothing can be too clean or too sanitized for her. You will find her looking at your kitchen counter as though she just sucked a lemon and is shaking her head in despair.
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The One Who "Comments": This one spends WAY too much time trolling Internet chat rooms, blogs, and Facebook to actually be spending as much time with her kids as she says. Still, she is almost always a better mom than you. It's totally uncanny and also totally untrue.
Which parent "type" do you not like?
Image via © iStock.com/Starflamedia
