Sierra - Strawberries, Duggars, Strawberries

[catlady]

while i completely understand @justoneoftwo's point, Sierra provided zero context.  if strangers did indeed approach her unsolicitedly and offer negative commentary on her family choices, then yes, that is none of their fucking business; they can have their opinions, but they need to keep it to themselves.  if there was a reason for these strangers to interact with her, their tone or expression would enhance the comment; maybe someone tried (and failed) to just say something innocuous to someone they'll never see again, or maybe Sierra--while being pulled in 6 different directions--misinterpreted their message.  but there again, if they were being snide, that's none of their business.  

and as @HereticHick points out above, i "ignore" kids in public nearly every day.  sometimes i'm too distracted over a bad day to notice the family 15 feet away from me.  sometimes i admire an outfit or hairstyle, but i do nothing outward because it's not my place to approach them.  and sometimes i say hi to the kid in line ahead of me because s/he waved at me from mom's cart.  

so for Sierra to mention both the ignoring and the negativity, she does kind of sound like she wants everyone to pat her on the head and tell her what a great mom she is.  but while her family is larger than average, she's not the only mom of 6 out there, and some people just aren't impressed.

[Carm_88]

28 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

On the other hand, she also seems to be bitching that strangers are "ignoring her kids."

I'm sorry Sierra, but I don't really interact with strange kids uninvited--because sometimes their parents will freak out about me NOT respecting boundaries.

Also, why is she expecting strangers to interact with her kids? That's not the strangers job. Some people do, some people leave them alone, some people just don't care about other people's kids. 

[HereticHick]

Sierra craves affirmation.  So often it feels like she is desperately trying to convince herself that she's made the right life choices. She wants strangers to walk up and tell her that.

[odd, strangers in stores rarely come up to me and discuss my life choices. Thank you Rufus.]

[AtlanticTug]

That post just reeks of "I'm finding all this way too much and overwhelming but goddamn can't stop now so I'll be all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows like it's the best thing ever."

I have two young children. I love them to bits. I really don't care for other people's kids...truthfully even my nieces and nephews hold not that much interest for me. I'm just not a kid-loving adult, with the exception of my own whom I dote upon. I was actually surprised how much I enjoy having them but it didn't make me go goo-goo-ga-ga for everybody else's kid. 

[Rachel333]

The "you've got a handful" comments aren't necessarily negative either, it's just something people say. I don't blame mothers of large families for getting tired of hearing the same comments over and over, but the people making those comments probably think they're being friendly.

[HarryPotterFan]

On 6/6/2018 at 8:11 PM, Rachel333 said:

The "you've got a handful" comments aren't necessarily negative either, it's just something people say. I don't blame mothers of large families for getting tired of hearing the same comments over and over, but the people making those comments probably think they're being friendly.

I agree.  And I’ve heard of worse. My mom said when I was a baby she was out with my and my brothers (twins, 2 years older than me). And someone said to her, “I’m glad I’m not you.” That’s just sounds like an asshole thing to say, but if they said, “Wow, I don’t think I could do it!” it would have been more of a friendly comment.

[Ivycoveredtower]

I bet those comments were made by her "Family and friends" six kids taken to a birthday party, a reunion and a wedding reception I bet they were running all over and being crazy and some of the people that had to deal with them were not pleased especially at the wedding. 

[Rachel333]

1 hour ago, HarryPotterFan said:

I agree.  And I’ve heard of worse. My mom said when I was a baby she was out with my and my brothers (twins, 2 years older than me). And someone said to her, “I’m glad I’m not you.” That’s just sounds like an asshole thing to say, but if they said, “Wow, I don’t think I could do it!” it would have been more of a friendly comment.

Yeah, my mom said she got a lot of "glad it's you and not me!" comments about my twin sisters. She says she was always tempted to answer, "so am I!"

[Eternalbluepearl]

I thought Sierra wasn't doing social media anymore because she bought a flip phone and is focusing on her family? Did I make that up?

[SapphireSlytherin]

45 minutes ago, Rachel333 said:

Yeah, my mom said she got a lot of "glad it's you and not me!" comments about my twin sisters. She says she was always tempted to answer, "so am I!"

Sort of similar:  I was talking with a co-worker in the ladies' room at work, as we washed our hands - afterward, she adjusted her (admittedly HUGE) breasts in her bra, and she said, "You are SO lucky you don't have to wear a bra anymore and that you don't have saggy tits, ever since you had breast cancer/double mastectomy/reconstruction."

I replied:  "I'll happily trade with you."

That shut her up.

[Carm_88]

5 minutes ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

I thought Sierra wasn't doing social media anymore because she bought a flip phone and is focusing on her family? Did I make that up?

She uses her husband's phone.  

[Ivycoveredtower]

11 minutes ago, Carm_88 said:

She uses her husband's phone.  

oh I bet she secretly has a smart phone again and has for a long time. LOL 

[JillyO]

Just now, Eternalbluepearl said:

I thought Sierra wasn't doing social media anymore because she bought a flip phone and is focusing on her family? Did I make that up?

She never said she wouldn't be using social media any more. But yeah, making a big deal about getting rid of her smartphone when she clearly keeps using one all the time (whether she already caved and bought a new one or she uses her husband's constantly) is kind of ridiculous.

[nastyhobbitses]

On 6/10/2018 at 12:25 AM, Eternalbluepearl said:

I thought Sierra wasn't doing social media anymore because she bought a flip phone and is focusing on her family? Did I make that up?

That was a thing for a while, but homegirl needs validation. 

[Ivycoveredtower]

29 minutes ago, nastyhobbitses said:

That was a thing for a while, but homegirl needs validation. 

Sounds like her new thing is no makeup except for church which I mean whatever I never wear makeup but it's always something new with Sierra isn't it. 

 

[emmeline]

On 6/10/2018 at 6:46 AM, HarryPotterFan said:

I agree.  And I’ve heard of worse. My mom said when I was a baby she was out with my and my brothers (twins, 2 years older than me). And someone said to her, “I’m glad I’m not you.” That’s just sounds like an asshole thing to say, but if they said, “Wow, I don’t think I could do it!” it would have been more of a friendly comment.

My first son was (still is, sometimes) a terrible sleeper. He woke at least 8 times a night for most of his first year. That came up in conversation once with a family friend's daughter, whose response was, "I'd suffocate my kid if he woke that much." 

Yeah, I'm glad my son was born to me and not to her. I'd feel very differently about a comment like "I couldn't handle that", but to actually identify how she would have killed him was disconcerting and upsetting.  

[nastyhobbitses]

1 hour ago, Ivycoveredtower said:

Sounds like her new thing is no makeup except for church which I mean whatever I never wear makeup but it's always something new with Sierra isn't it. 

If this means that she's not going to shill LipSense anymore (she was on that train for a while IIRC), I'm for it. I personally wear makeup every single day (I wear waterproof mascara and BB cream with high SPF to run half marathons in the vain hope that it will make me look slightly less like an over-exerted basset hound in my finish line photos, but alas), to the point where I feel kinda naked without it. But on the rare occasion that I go out barefaced, I'm not treating it like a momentous life choice. 

[Daisy0322]

7 hours ago, emmeline said:

My first son was (still is, sometimes) a terrible sleeper. He woke at least 8 times a night for most of his first year. That came up in conversation once with a family friend's daughter, whose response was, "I'd suffocate my kid if he woke that much." 

Yeah, I'm glad my son was born to me and not to her. I'd feel very differently about a comment like "I couldn't handle that", but to actually identify how she would have killed him was disconcerting and upsetting.  

My son is 9 months right now and barely sleeps ever... people are actually mean to him when they find out sometimes (I've lost friends over it) and so I try not to talk about it. But most days I'm so tired I could fall over. I'm so grateful he's mine and not someone else though because most people act like they'd drop him off at the firehouse. It is really upsetting especially when his own grandparents won't babysit because "he's not a good baby". I admit he's a hard baby but that doesn't make him less worthy of being loved 

[Lisafer]

@Daisy0322 Hang in there! It will get better eventually. I wish I could help you out and hold him so you could take a nap...I have two kids and the little one is 18 months and still doesn't sleep all through the night most nights. But it's better than it used to be. People suck if they say mean things about your baby. 

[Iamtheway]

1 hour ago, Daisy0322 said:

My son is 9 months right now and barely sleeps ever... people are actually mean to him when they find out sometimes (I've lost friends over it) and so I try not to talk about it. But most days I'm so tired I could fall over. I'm so grateful he's mine and not someone else though because most people act like they'd drop him off at the firehouse. It is really upsetting especially when his own grandparents won't babysit because "he's not a good baby". I admit he's a hard baby but that doesn't make him less worthy of being loved 

That’s horrible! How can people be mean about it? He’s a baby! And you are just doing the best you can. Do they think they are helping you by being mean? I wish I could come around and shake the people around you.

You hang in there! And hope you meet better people that can be supportive so you can stop hanging out with assholes. 

 

[Coconut Flan]

Grandparents who won't keep a baby who isn't "good" are simply selfish.  I deliberately took the grand kids to bed or to the guest room with me so their parents could get some sleep.  I can always sleep when I go home. 

[Daisy0322]

4 hours ago, Lisafer said:

@Daisy0322 Hang in there! It will get better eventually. I wish I could help you out and hold him so you could take a nap...I have two kids and the little one is 18 months and still doesn't sleep all through the night most nights. But it's better than it used to be. People suck if they say mean things about your baby. 

Yes people like to blame the mom too I've heard it all from he like this because you had a hard pregnancy to well he must not feel loved enough 

3 hours ago, Iamtheway said:

That’s horrible! How can people be mean about it? He’s a baby! And you are just doing the best you can. Do they think they are helping you by being mean? I wish I could come around and shake the people around you.

You hang in there! And hope you meet better people that can be supportive so you can stop hanging out with assholes. 

 

Thank you! I've given up on people but it helps not being around the negativity...I just desperately need a break.

[PurpleCats]

@Daisy0322 hang in there!! My niece was a colicy baby - the screaming for an hour+ every night, wake up 2-3 times a night kind.  She spent a lot of time at my house watching trashy reality tv and listening to me explain finance homework to her to give her mom some relief.   Also, my little old pup (a puppy mill rescue, mother of many fussy babies) could stop the screaming more quickly than any human. 

She grew out of that stage and has slept like a log ever since.  

[NakedKnees]

Not to be depressing, but people being jerks about sleep habits may not end with infancy. The last vacation Mr. Knees, his 12-year-old and I took was with a good friend and his 3-year-old, and we rented a condo together. Mr. Knees and his son both snore, and our friend wasn't exactly nice about it... he complained constantly the first few days. We ended up putting the two of them in the master suite while I shared twins + pull out with our friend and his toddler. It wasn't a big deal but I feel for my stepson- he was really guilty about it. I feel like if someone's that light of a sleeper, it should really be their responsibility to make sure accomodations work for them (or at least be sensitive to the insecurity level preteens often feel).

I should note that the 3-year-old, once asleep, was a heavy sleeper and not disturbed by the snoring. However, getting them to GO to sleep was a whole other kettle of fish. Toddlers can be so much more challenging than little babies sometimes.

[karen77]

12 minutes ago, NakedKnees said:

Not to be depressing, but people being jerks about sleep habits may not end with infancy. The last vacation Mr. Knees, his 12-year-old and I took was with a good friend and his 3-year-old, and we rented a condo together. Mr. Knees and his son both snore, and our friend wasn't exactly nice about it... he complained constantly the first few days. We ended up putting the two of them in the master suite while I shared twins + pull out with our friend and his toddler. It wasn't a big deal but I feel for my stepson- he was really guilty about it. I feel like if someone's that light of a sleeper, it should really be their responsibility to make sure accomodations work for them (or at least be sensitive to the insecurity level preteens often feel).

I should note that the 3-year-old, once asleep, was a heavy sleeper and not disturbed by the snoring. However, getting them to GO to sleep was a whole other kettle of fish. Toddlers can be so much more challenging than little babies sometimes.

Toddlers and bed time, UUUGGGGHHHH!! hell, my 5 year old is still a pain in the arse.. especially in hotels, yikes.