We have all done it. We don't necessarily think we are judgmental, we don't go out seeking other moms to judge but when out of the blue we see something unusual we can't help but think-I would never do that!
Which brings me to the yellow hi-liter story. I was in Walmart, with my mom, pushing my new baby in the cart when I see a mom with an approximately 9 month old kid pass us in a buggy and the kid is mouthing a yellow hi-liter pen. My mom and I exchange looks and once we are out of hearing distance we have a brief conversation about how we can't believe that mom would let her kid suck on a hi-liter and how I would never do that.
Fast forward 6 months and I am sitting in my office, trying to type an email with one hand while holding my wiggly 6 month old and he grabs a hi-liter, puts it in his mouth and happily sits on my lap, wiggle-free. Now, I would like to pretend that I sat there and weighed the pros and cons, considered my conversation with my mom months ago in Walmart and then made an informed decision about whether my child should play with the pen or not, but that didn't happen. I saw the cap was on, there was no immediate danger, and I let him go at it while I finished up my email.
Us new moms, or moms to be, have the best intentions but they are usually unrealistic! I have a new way of deciding what my Little Monkey can and can not play with it goes like this:
1.Is it dangerous? Like really dangerous immediately (ie sharp or hot things) not what would the long term effect of sucking on hi-liter ink be. If the answer is no, got to step 2
2. Will he wreck it and do I care? The answer has to be yes for both before I remove it. If one is no, go to step 3
3. How messy will it be? This becomes a balancing act with "how long will it keep him busy" vs "how long will it take me to clean up"
What do you let your kids play with that you though you would never agree to?
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