::Different Parenting Styles, Best Friends?

I was reading this article on parents.com about whether or not people with differing parenting styles can be friends. This is a topic that I struggle with sometimes now that I'm a parent and my eyes have been opened up to how other people around me parent their children. One aspect that the article touches on is that usually it's not the parenting style that you may not like, but rather the person. The parenting style is a side effect of the person. This was revolutionary in my thought process in regards to this topic. It's funny how people change once they have kids. I've experienced many situations where a person is one way, but when they get pregnant and become a parent, all of the sudden they are very different that what I once knew.

Personally, I think that parents can do whatever floats their little boats in regards to how they raise their children. However, I do NOT like it when these parents try to force their new-found parenting styles onto people like me. I don't like labels. I don't associate myself or my family with "attachment parenting" or whatever other labels are out there that these new age parents cling on to. I raise my kids the way my husband and I decide is best for our family, not how some doctor or group of people thinks we should. Now, I'm not saying that I don't see what other parents do around me and not have an opinion or judgement in some cases. We all do. In fact, I think it's healthy to see and understand things that we do or don't want to do as parents with our own kids. I just don't push my ways of doing things on other people. If someone asks me my opinion, I'll be the first to share it, or to try and offer up some suggestions for those who want them, but I've learned to keep my big mouth shut in most cases.

In any case, it's funny to see the division of friends within my own life, but also the life of those around me and how parenting styles play into it.