While friends don’t have to agree all the time, having different parenting philosophies can make it seem like you’re speaking totally different languages. It can be polarizing when you get along with someone well but your parenting styles clash. The two of you may start to think, “What are we going to talk about if we can’t talk about how we are raising our kids?”
Not to mention the fact that each time a friend disagrees with your parenting choices, it can feel like criticism. When your friend tells you how she does something (and we all know people who believe their way is best) you might feel defensive or doubt yourself. It feels like what you’re doing is being questioned and that can be unnerving. While debates about time-outs or breast versus bottle are nothing new, parenting rants on Facebook and pictures on Instagram amplify differences.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to ditch your friends. Managing your relationships just takes finesse.
Don’t Jump to Conclusions
When a friend raises an eyebrow as you coax your crying 1-year-old with puffs to calm her down, it’s natural to feel offended, but try not to take all of your disagreement personally. It might sound or look like judgment, but it’s not going to do your friendship any good to start thinking, “She’s attacking who I am as a person.” You have to be able to let things go.
Often a friend’s questions about your way of doing things are truly out of curiosity. For example, navigating parenthood, especially the first time, can feel like the clueless leading the clueless. Exhausted moms might be willing to rethink a strategy that isn’t working. When the friend who was horrified by your cry-it-out leanings started asking about how you had set up a nap-time routine that actually seemed to work, you might think she was gathering more fodder for disapproval until she said she might try it.
Lend Her Your Ears, Not Your Advice
During a pal’s nap-time crisis, you may want to shout, “Just put him in the crib and leave him!” But a comment like that won’t do any good. Unsolicited advice will only create more conflict or tension. If your friend asks for advice, absolutely share it. But be sensitive about how you offer it. Try, “This may not feel comfortable for you since I know we do a lot differently, but it has worked for us.”
More often than not, moms whose kids won’t eat or nap (or whatever the problem of the day is) aren’t looking for advice so much as someone to listen. Being open and saying “I’m here for you if you want to talk” can go a long way.
Talk About Other Things
When comparing notes becomes one awkward conversation after another, it might be a good idea to take the subject off the table. That’s easier said than done in today’s hyper-parenting world, but making the effort to take a step back can be a refreshing mental break. There is life outside the sleeping and eating and pooping of your kids and sometimes it’s important to say to yourself, “Okay, maybe this will be the friend I occasionally go to the movies with or who comes over after the kids are asleep to have a glass of wine and talk about celebrity gossip”
After all, you are more than your mom status. Being a mom isn’t your only role. Instead of always discussing the kids, it can be energizing and liberating to talk about your work, books you want to read, or vacation plans.
Take a Break
If there’s no avoiding the mommy talk and your opposing outlooks are driving a wedge between the two of you, it might be time to schedule fewer playdates or talk less frequently for a bit. The good thing is, if you had a long-standing friendship before this, you can rest assured this phase will pass. Nobody is still talking about breastfeeding when the kids are about to start kindergarten.
Should things get especially bad, remember why you and your pal were close to begin with. Old friends know your history and as you age you rely on them to talk with you about memories from your early years. Those relationships have value beyond just being mom friends. You don’t want to ruin a friendship because you sleep with your baby in your bed and your friend has hers in a crib, because your baby is not going to be in your bed forever.
Remember, There’s No One “Right” Way to Parent
Research backs up the idea that contrary parenting styles can both work. A 2014 Stanford study found that even when it came to “tiger mothers” versus “Westernstyle,” or hyper-strict versus more permissive, both can be equally effective. If you can look beyond the comparisons and the me versus you of it all, you may find that the contrast in styles actually offers some comfort. It’s a great reminder that “Wow, we all do things so distinctly, but everybody’s kid is turning out to be pretty much okay.” It’s a good reality check.
No matter how drastically divergent your methods are, keep in mind that you and your friend have the same intention. In the end, we’re all just trying to do the best job possible for our kids. She may think you’re nuts for using disposable diapers and you may think her style is strange, but you’re both trying to be a good mom.
Plus, in the end, isn’t seeing things differently better than not seeing each other at all?
– Leslie