Thursday, November 8, 2007

SMH Heckler gets heckled

Anyone read today's SMH Heckler article? Here's the link if you missed it, and here's the reply I sent the SMH.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/heckler/if-its-not-ankle-biters-its-buggies-nipping-at-my-heels/2007/11/07/1194329317533.html

Hi Louise,
Interesting article. I have 2 young toddlers and even I don’t see that side of life that you have written about. Between work and children, I don’t have time to offer complaints like that.

Three things to consider:
1.You may not like children, but you were once a child. Who knows, you may have been a revolting toddler that your poor parents had to deal with.
2.These revolting little children will be paying for your health care one day so show some respect.
3.Stand up for other women. Raising children is a really hard job. Writing articles that divide women and the choices they make in life is an irresponsible thing to do. Why don’t you contribute to the idea of women standing united – as men do.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Can’t even go out to a café now without upsetting some poor-downtrodden inner city café yuppie? I’m sorry, when did mothers become sans-uber citizens.

If yesterday’s heckler had her way, today’s mums should be at home 24/7, bored to their eyeballs in washing, cleaning, and cooking the evening meal. We should be selfless acts of mummy-martyrdom, and shame, shame shame on us for wanting a shot of caffeine from our local like we did before we became breeding machines pushing big scary perambulators.

Has the world gone mad? Why feel so threatened by mothers and their babies communing with friends for an hour of company that you choke on your favourite brew. The poor dear even had to ask someone to step out of her way. Tcsh.

Let us collectively apologise now to all child free women for ranting on about such meaningless dribble like what to feed our growing infant, the pros and cons of immunisation, and how to get more sleep in the home. Your lives must be so much more important.

Further, we should scurry with remorse back to those hideous baby stores from whence we came with our “4WD off-road turbo baby-buggy” and demand a more considerate pram of yesteryear which was twice the weight, height and girth. Then your carefree ankles would really know what hit them.

One word – tolerance.

Parenting children is the new black, the new ‘digital divide’. Lack of understanding between parents and those without children is growing. People are leaving jobs over it, ending marriages, and now it seems cafes.

Like it or not, adults who have children become comrades in the trenches of parenthood which is frankly sanity-saving. Motherhood is a tough gig on every level – emotionally, physically and mentally – but we’re not complaining. We’d just like a coffee and company every now and then.

As for shopping for clothes at sporting boutiques, this mother feels Ms Young got her research wrong. Us “yummy mummys” prefer Oroton (baby) bags, Tsubi jeans, and anything bought from Saba. Just like you.

We “power-walk” to get out of the house, get our bodies back, and connect with the adult world. Our trite ‘mothers meetings’ save our otherwise career-savvy, educated minds from being the one in six Australian women to suffer post natal depression.
So spare a thought. Our little “messiahs” are found grouped in circles at cafes so we can keen an eye on them and as far away from you.

No, we haven’t softened our intellect, lost our social etiquette, or gone looking for non-parents to land a filthy look. That’s you out there honey.

Why doesn’t the Australian Government provide childless women with a baby-free bonus? I agree. Then hopefully you’d splash out on an Italian coffee machine equipped with what looks like enough supplies to outfit an expedition to the South Pole, to enjoy the peace and quiet of your own child-free home where frankly, we’d be better off.

Anyone for a coffee?


By Karen Miles