Yes, I know I am not a mother yet, but...

It has always annoyed me when people find a way to dismiss my opinion about something.  My opinions are exactly that, mine.  Just because you disagree with me, does not make my opinions any less valuable.  Lately I have found that a lot of younger mother's completely disregard my opinions when it comes to parenting. It all started with a Facebook post that I mentioned last week.  Frankly, it pisses me off.

I don't know how to say this with out sounding completely full of myself, so I am just going to say it.  For  a young woman who doesn't have any children of her own yet, I know a whole heck of a lot about kids. For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to children and have purposely  made an effort to be around them.  I was a summer nanny when I was 15 for 4 kids, a camp counselor, a children's ministry director, a regular baby sitter, ect.  So, when some one tells me that I "don't understand" something because I haven't given birth, it hurts me.  

Now, I am not claiming that I will be the world's greatest mother.  I understand that there will be challenges and new learning experiences along the way.  And I am fully expecting to feel emotions I have never experienced before.  But please don't tell me "I don't get it".  Just because I haven't experienced childbirth or motherhood yet, does not mean that I do not understand the importance of the emotional impact it will have on my life.

A good friend of mine put it this way, "people tend to get cocky with the things they have had to learn though experience that they didn't know before.  Especially if it is in a field such as children that they knew nothing about before they had to."  I completely agree.  If mommy wars are this bad before I am even expecting, I can only imagine how much worse they will get!

I will get off my soap box now, but please keep that in mind  people's opinions are valuable, and adding a smiley face to your blunt and insulting comment, doesn't make it any less insulting.