KELLY BROWN: Sometimes being a good parent is so hard, especially when being judged

WE ALL try so hard not to do it, but sometimes you just can't help casting judgement over other people.

Just so long as no-one judges you!

And critiquing someone’s parenting skills can be the bread and butter of your involuntary judgemental thoughts.

It usually happens when you pass that child having a tantrum on the floor, a parent dragging their little one along the road by their arm or one shouting and screaming at them in the middle of the supermarket.

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Bad parent? Sometimes yes. You only have to watch the Jeremy Kyle show for evidence of some children being dragged up rather than brought up – and then doing the same to their own offspring. But most of the time no.

Most of the time it is a frazzled parent whose usually angelic child is having one of those devil moments.

One of those times when you just want the ground to swallow you up whole because your child is playing up.

And they definitely know how to push your buttons and test you to the limit.

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At the moment my little man is definitely testing the boundaries of what he can get away with, being just that little bit cheeky, answering back and getting cross when he doesn’t get his own way.

I love him to bits and I would be mortified if my parenting skills were silently condemned by passing strangers as he on the occasions he has a momentary mini meltdown.

But that is just human nature – people just can’t help themselves.

They have to have an opinion on everything.

This week was a classic example of massive condemnation of one mum’s parenting skills when she was filmed leaving her little girl outside a bookies while she popped inside.

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One national newspaper article later and she was the subject of internet condemnation for leaving her daughter to place a bet.

But then others condemned the condemners for their views, saying she in fact took a regrettable spur-of-the-moment decision when she popped in to grab some keys.

Whatever the truth it is evidence indeed that human nature takes over where snap judgements are concerned.

And try as we might, we are all a little guilty of casting the first proverbial stone.

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End to Movember

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I can’t wait for Saturday. My husband will finally have a proper shave.

He has been doing his bit for charity by taking part in Movember, joining the men around the country growing a moustache.

I’m proud of him for doing his bit, but the hairy addition has been around long enough!

Twitter: @KellyBrownMTW

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