Or even better. And a lot of times it doesn't even equal easy.
So, what initially got me on this train of thought was my post below about people getting rid of pets. So I think ultimately the point of my post wasn't that there's never a good reason to get rid of your pets, it was that you really need to put some serious thought into it. More than that you need to make those considerations before you ever get a pet. And people need to understand that while it may be easier for you to get rid of your pet because you "can't give it enough attention" or whatever lame excuse you have than to actually take responsibility for this life that you took into your home and make adjustments so that you can cohabitate peacefully.
And then I talked to my father-in-law. He mentioned to me that he had to patch their leaky roof. Again. He has patched it literally every year for about the past 10 years. What's the problem, you ask? Well, he has a tendency to take the easy / cheap route. On everything. So instead of fixing it right the first time, he did it the "easy" way, again & again, and so has to re-do it every. single. year.
And so my thoughts on this subject began expanding.
When I became pregnant with FireGirl, the advice started flowing, from varying sources. The little tidbits that bothered me the most? How to make my job easier. Why, you ask? Isn't that a good thing? Well sure, if it didn't seem like the advice was more focused on making being a mom easier, and less focused on what was best for my child. Some examples:
Nice person: you're planning on breast-feeding? why? you'll be attached to that baby or the pump all day!
Me: because numerous studies show that it's better for my baby
Nice person: formula feeding worked for my kids, and then other people could help so I wasn't stuck to the kid all day
Nice person: put rice cereal in her bottle before bed and she'll sleep thru the night
Me: um, she's 4 weeks old. I didn't really expect her to sleep thru the night yet. Oh, and my pediatrician agrees with me that that would be a choking hazard at her age
Nice person: Hmph. Fine, but I did it
The list could go on & on.
I really don't mind advice. And I will take advice into consideration. But to suggest that I do things to make my life easier, when they clearly aren't what's best for my child, and in some cases may be a hazard to her health or safety? Seriously?
I think what bothered me most was how many people have presented me with advice in this fashion. Do this, it's easier. I'll do easy. When it also has no effect on what is best for my child.
Now, we've all be guilty of taking the easy way out at times. We all do it. Even me. Well, maybe not. My mom has told me repeatedly thru the years that I seem to have a knack for finding the hardest way to do something, LOL.
Seriously though, we all take shortcuts here & there. Which is fine. But before we do we really need to think of the consequences.
Will easy be better? Will it be worse?
Will easy now lead to harder later (or more expensive)?
Just... think.
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