Dear Stranger...

Dear Stranger,
There are so many things I wish I could say to you right now. They range from very polite to me basically ripping your head off. But they all have the same theme..stop staring!

Yes, my child is crying. And yes, I know what's wrong with him and I've also done everything I can to help him. He's teething. Haven't you ever had a toothache, maybe a wisdom tooth cutting or just general pain? Imagine not being able to express how much it hurt. You'd scream wouldn't you? Because that's all you know. Well, that's the same with my son. His 7th tooth is coming through and as he can't talk yet, he's letting me know through crying.

I'm not going to lie, it does my head in too. The crying is bad enough but knowing I can't do anything to take my baby's pain away..that hurts. I'm his mother, I'm supposed to make everything better for him but I've just got to sit back and wait for it to subside or for his medicine to kick in. You've just been listening to it for 10 minutes, I've had it for 3 days! Ask any mother, teething is her arch nemesis!

But the worst thing of all? It's being judged by you. The silent looks that say it all. Staring like I'm not doing anything to stop my baby from making any noise. Please don't stare..or even worse, turn around to stare. I'm doing my best. Hearing my baby sob his little heart out makes me want to cry but you, the stranger I've never met before? You make me want to go home and hide until he's better.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, stop judging. Don't you remember what it's like to have a young baby? And if you've never had children, ask a friend or family member what it's like. Maybe that will give you some enlightenment and stop making good mothers feel inadequate.