Ick!

I really don't want to be one of those mothers (you know, the kind who think they know better than anyone else), but I have to vent about one of the parents in The Boy's (now old) class.

Let me start by saying I think all children are born perfect. Whatever bad habits they may have later in life are picked up from those around them. I don't think there is or has ever been a newborn who deliberately works to vex his/her parents. Seriously.

That having been said, I believe we, as parents, are largely responsible for our children's bad actions. And our reactions to different situations are templates for our children to follow, as well.

Now onto my rant.

B is about two months younger than The Boy. He's a cute little kid, very bright-eyed, intelligent, and quite precocious. He used to be quite charming, but as he's gotten older (and shouts "No!" - very clearly - every chance he gets), he's lost a bit of that charm. Not that he can't get it back, mind you. He just needs to be reined in a bit.

B's mom is, well, let's just say not PLM (People Like Me). She's loud, brash, and pays no heed to current conventional childrearing wisdom. By that last I mean she started B on table foods at 3 months (not just baby food jars, mind you), has had him solely on whole milk since 8 months (yes, he was drinking cow's milk before I even started slowly introducing it to The Boy), and, most recently, has decided that B's current case of thrush is really no need to go to the doctor. Never mind that this is contagious, never mind that he's at an age where he wants to put everything in his mouth, never mind that there are seven other kids in that room who also want to mouth everything. He's also apparently not eating as much as he used to, which would totally be a red flag for me. Because the school isn't mandating that he be kept away from children until the thrush is gone or he is no longer contagious (which I don't get because if The Boy merely spits up I get a call and have to rush him to the doctor, but that's another story altogether), B's mom doesn't feel it's necessary to take him to the doctor!

Then it begs the question of whether this child even has his own doctor. The school only cares about immunizations, and those you can get through WIC, so, I don't know. And his case of thrush is so bad, it also makes me wonder if she even brushes this kid's teeth. [sigh]

Oh, yeah - and she refuses to put any creams or ointments on B, even when he has a severe diaper rash, because of his cloth diapers. And I know (because I've researched it before making the partial switch) there are a number of diaper rash creams that are suitable for cloth diaper use. She could also use a flushable liner, as we do, and use as much A&D as necessary. But I digress.

When the teacher told me about B's thursh issues and her confrontation with B's mom this morning, I was so glad that The Boy had spent most of this week in the Toddler Wing. And as much as I'll miss the teachers and seeing some of The Boy's other classmates, I'm also glad he'll be in the other classroom full-time on Monday.

I can only hope B doesn't follow him into the same class in two months.