Life Without Baby

filling the silence in the motherhood discussion

Comments

  1. My whine this week is while watching The Voice, I can’t help but be really annoyed about a Kia Serrento commerical. It’s a dad driving a little boy around that is asking questions about the car. Why it has this, why it has that. I guess I’m annoyed that car commercials have to be all about “family”. I get a van commerical or a huge SUV, but really why do they have to cater to people with kids? I drive a Honda Civic SI. It’s considered a sports car. I love it. But of Honda would have shown this car having 4 doors, which it does, made for kids and car seats I would have for sure picked something different. We also have a Ford f150 4 door. It’s big! But we have it for all my husbands fire fighter gear, soccer equipment and well Costco or and other big shopping! If that would have been shown to add car seats, DVD players or strollers, I would have been turned away from the truck as well! I guess I get sensitive and annoyed why commerical a have to sell things for “kids” or ” family’s” instead of just how cool the car or whatever it is alone! I feel better whining about it! Thanks! šŸ™‚

    • I understand. I just bought a Crosstrek because I loved it. But I gave a lot of thought to whether it made me look like a mom. The last thing I wanted to be thought of is a soccer mom. It’s a very sporty crossover so I don’t feel like I’m in a mommy suv. It has child safety locks but it also has a feature that allows me to turn it off, and it made me feel better about getting it.

      Last year we bought a new dishwasher and I rejected several that had a “child safety” button on them because I didn’t want to read it every day. I also ask my pharmacist to give me my scripts without child safety caps because they annoy me and I don’t need them. Today, I got an e-mail advertising a nutritional cooking class nearby but for parents and it really made me mad. I wrote them back and said people without children also eat and should eat nutritionally, and it’s offensive they are marking only to parents. So I totally understand why you feel as you do.

      • Heather, I totally get what you are saying… I have a Mazada CRX to fit my husbands keyboards, amps, etc… and I often wonder if people think I’m a mom as well.

        Maria, I love that you wrote them back saying people without children also eat!!! – lol… gave me a much needed gigggle today!! You rock!!
        xoxo- Kristine

  2. I am laughing so hard at this discussion! I, too, rejected a great car when my office mate said it made me look like a soccer mom. (He also dissed a convertible b/c he said made me look like a “menopausal cliche” and opted for the practical car with “curb appeal that won’t embarrass you when you check it with the valet.”) And Maria, you are slaying me! I love what you wrote to the cooking class people. It’s so true! Fight on, ladies!

    • I rejected a convertible for the same reason. I thought it made me look like I was having a midlife crisis. Maybe I am but no one else has to know!

      • All of your posts are great! The other day, I was buying a bicycle. I needed a new lock for my bike, so the salesperson picked one and kept commenting on how light it was that even the kids could carry it! I opted for the heavier lock:-) Annoying!

  3. There was an article on the Harvard Business a Blog by a CEO and her policy of letting her employees bring their kids to work and what a wonderful thing, etc., and all the cheerleading responses. And while I agree these are issues that need to be addressed and kudos should he given to her as a leader for trying to offer solutions, it annoyed me greatly because once again, you are only a family if you have kids, right? WRONG!

    I have to say reading here inspired me to respond. The author responded to other posters, but that was before I wrote mine. I am curious to see if she will say anything. You can read it here. http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/04/why-i-tell-my-employees-to-bring-their-kids-to-work/

    I am sure you will be able to figure out which response was mine. šŸ˜‰

    And I just want to say thanks for creating a place where we can share. It has helped a great deal.