Eight Things Not to Say to the New Mother
1) "I've got a new puppy (or an old one), and taking care of it is more work than a baby." This could possibly be true. I've dog sat both a puppy and an old dog and multiple times caring for each, I thought to myself "I am never doing this again." However, as a new, sleep deprived mother, there is no comparison between a baby and a dog. If you have trouble distinguishing between the responsibilities involved, consider the difference between the approval process for adopting a puppy and that of adopting a baby. 2) "Your baby is crying a lot? You better get used to it." Judging by reactions I've seen from mothers of grown children when their children cry, I do not think that the second sentence must follow the first. Yes, the new mother must sometime learn that she won't be able to (and, in some cases, shouldn't try to) soothe away the source of the tears, but in my limited experience, I am inclined to believe that no mother ever g...