Conflicting satires, or judge not

Disclaimers: This might not be interesting to those of you without children. Or those of you with children. And it won't make much sense without reading the links.

A few days ago, a friend sent me here. Go ahead and read it. And read the follow-up. I'll wait. To be honest, I thought it was pretty funny. I didn't get the impression that she actually hates her kids. Maybe I'm too naive, but I don't think someone who truly hated their child would go around advertising it. I think she was trying to make a point that being a mom is tough. Sometimes moms want to quit, and sometimes we might wish, just for a bit, that we didn't have to attend to someone else's needs every second of every day. And to be honest, some of my reasons for not having another child-ever-are similar to this list. I'm tired of doing laundry all the time, of seeing a basket of Legos I just picked up dumped out, again, of apologizing to waiters, waitresses, and other restaurant patrons as my child hurls his vibrator across the restaurant, again. Each time we pass through a developmental stage, I feel relieved. I love my sweet boy dearly; I think he's the most wonderful child in the world, but I also know I'm selfish. I pour so much of myself into my child (who I know adores me, most of the time), and I still feel like I come up short compared to other moms.

Then, today, I read this blog for the first time. Go ahead. I'll wait again. I read the top post ("Child Empowerment") and found myself thinking of other parents and smiling a little. Then I read some of the other posts, particularly the ones about baby wearing, online parenting forums (a godsend for me), and baby sign language. The satire wasn't quite so funny this time, probably because I am guilty (for lack of a better word) of many of the actions and sentiments this blog was targeting. (Or maybe it just wasn't funny. Husband says it's poor satire)

Both the article and the blog intend to be funny and satirical, but maybe they're ultimately just judgmental or defensive or something. I don't know. But it got me thinking about something I've been thinking about a lot lately-how easily we judge parents and their parenting techniques. Recently I've been pondering two things: first, while I started out being very open and honest and using this little blog as a way of processing my thoughts, I've come to deeply censor what I put on here; secondly, it's made me really evaluate my own thinking and speaking. I'm really quick to criticize other people, to the point where I often don't even realize I'm gossiping, but lately I've started thinking about what if what I said were to get back to them? Would I say the same thing to their face, or is what I'm thinking something I'd only say to Husband/Mr. Independent/my mother/Caroline and Leighann? If it is something I wouldn't say to their face, then should it even be said (the answer to that, in my opinion, is a resounding no way, Jose)? How would I feel if someone said this about me (the answer to this one is: I'd feel truly terrible. I would be crushed if people were to discuss my parenting behind my back)?
It's really easy to judge other parents, especially in the guise of exploring and examining my own parenting philosophies and what I will or will not do. I can come home and tell Husband about something I observed at Target and say, well, at least my kid doesn't chew gum at sixteen months, but who's to say that parent isn't going home and saying well, at least my kid doesn't stand up in the shopping cart and screech. I say things about other parents and feel like a better parent, like a better person, and then I remember, there are people out there who disagree with many of my parenting decisions, for example, diners who just wanted to eat their fucking dinner in peace and why couldn't that mother control her damn child and make him shut the hell up.
My guess is that most, if not all parents, just want to give their child the best possible life, though they way they choose to do it varies greatly. At the end of the day, parenting is hard. For all the grace and mercy we receive as parents, it is a difficult job. Is it really anyone else's business how we choose to do that job?