Mom Bullies: Mean Girls Who Grow Up to Be Mean Moms

Here are some examples of Mom Bullies:

The Know It All:

This is the mother who has to add her two cents to everything and that her way is the best way. If you don’t do things the way she does, then they may infer that you are being a bad parent. She may be critical that you chose to formula feed your baby or that you let your children play video games. Sometimes, this may not be told to you directly, but behind your back to her other mommy friends.

The Judge:

If your toddler throws an epic tantrum in the grocery store, this is the mother who tosses you ‘the judgmental eyes’ to say that her child would never do that in public. Or she may scoff at you for sending in cookies to your child’s classroom party instead of the healthy snack of celery like she did.

The In-Your Face:

This is the mother who will call you out for not having your baby’s head covered on a chilly day or she’ll remark that “someone should be watching that kid” as your child runs wildly through the park even though you are breaking your neck to keep up with him. She has no filter and says what she pleases which is often hurtful.

Okay, so how do we deal with these types of bullies? Here are a few tips:

Do not react to her negative comments or judging looks. If you respond with an angry comment, it may only add fuel to the fire. Ignoring her will lessen the chance that she’ll keep heckling you and will diffuse the situation quicker.

Stand up for yourself. In some situations, it is appropriate to calmly express that you are the parent and that you make decisions based on what works for you and your child.

If it is a friend or relative, discuss your concerns with them. Let them know how uncomfortable they make you feel and that it is okay if you choose to parent differently.

Don’t bash other moms. If you don’t want your parenting to be judged, don’t judge other parents. Role model to your children respect for others and they’ll follow suit.

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from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/08/25/mom-bullies-mean-girls-who-grow-up-to-be-mean-moms/