As sad as it may sound, a new survey indicates that a fifth of new parents think their baby is ugly, though only 8 percent of them are willing to admit it to anyone else besides their partners.
And I guess you can't really blame them for staying mum on the issue. No parent wants to come right out and tell people that they think their precious bundle of joy is anything less than all kinds of adorable and beautiful.
I mean, if they think their kid is hideous, how do they expect others to react upon seeing him for the first time?
Nobody with half a heart would ever look directly at a new mom or dad and tell them their kid could break mirrors, but let's be honest — sometimes it takes babies, particularly newborns, a little bit longer to grow into their cuteness if it's not present right from birth.
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And it's kind of tough when you take that first glimpse at a new little one and realize you don't exactly have anything complimentary to say about his appearance, which can get really awkward and uncomfortable in the span of a few seconds.
Sometimes you might even find yourself peering into the crib and cringing and not knowing how to get yourself out of that horrible moment. So I came up with a few reactions you can throw in to dig yourself out of that hole before you get too far in.
- Simply say, "I'm speechless," which will get you out of actually having to say anything altogether. You remember how your mother always told you, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"? Yeah, this follows that same theory but at least makes the parents think you believe their kid is totally gorgeous.
- Just stand there with your mouth hanging open like you can't manage to get the words out. Odds are good they'll think you're stumped by junior's beauty instead of aghast at how unfortunate looking he is.
- If you do cringe? Say you stubbed your toe on the crib or that you have a major foot cramp from dancing around with happiness over the fact that you were finally going to meet their baby.
- If you really, really make a horrified face? Tell 'em you ate some bad salmon for lunch and then politely excuse yourself and run to the restroom. (Or tell them you think you might be pregnant too.)
- Start to cry. Uncontrollably. They'll automatically assume you're weeping over how beautiful the kid is instead of sobbing at the sight of him.
- Laugh. When in doubt, laugh. Who doesn't laugh with delight over a baby? Laughing can never be misconstrued as anything but pure positivity when it comes to a newborn.
- Repeat, "OH MY GOD" over and over again. Odds are good mom and dad will join in with, "I know. Isn't he amazing?" — at which point you can just nod your head in agreement and call it a day.
- Hide your eyes. But then insist you're just trying to play peek-a-boo with the kid. They'll love how sweet you are trying to interact with him.
Have you ever reacted negatively to a baby?
Image via meddygarnet/Flickr
