Emily65Roses
New member
It's not as much about judging for the sake of it, at least with me. Whenever I say anything like the OP (by the way, I agree almost 100%), it's because I care. We may not be parents, but if you're asking how to raise a CFer, we do have advice there. Perhaps more than some CF parents would want to admit. It's easier to brush it off and say "Well they have no idea, they're not parents!" Especially because a lot of the time when we get reactions like that, it's because it's to advice parents don't like.
I have lived with CF for 23 years. I have plenty of advice and tips on what are good things to do and what are bad things to do regarding the differences in raising a CFer. Most of you have heard many of them. Each child is different, each family is different, but if I hear of a case where I don't agree, I will say so. Adamantly, and I'll explain why. My opinions on these things do not come from thin air. Chances are, I'm never going to have kids. But it doesn't mean I'm a bonehead and I can't offer anything useful. In short, if someone asks advice on how to do X with a CFer, and I feel I have a worthwhile two cents, I'm going to offer it.
I think parents could learn a lot from adult CFers here, if they choose to open their minds wide enough to let in some advice they may not like at first glance. Yes, you'll get good advice from other parents. And no, some of us don't know what it's like to be a parent. But we know what it's like to be in your child's shoes, and if you're trying to do the best for <i>them</i>, you may want to listen when we pipe up. Our situations may not always collide with yours, but chances are, at some point, they will. And then you'll want to hear what we have to say.
We don't have the authority (if you want to be real elitist about it) to give parenting advice. But this forum is not for general parenting advice. It's for CF advice (which often goes hand in hand with parenting advice). And when it comes to CF advice, we have all the authority necessary to give it.
I have lived with CF for 23 years. I have plenty of advice and tips on what are good things to do and what are bad things to do regarding the differences in raising a CFer. Most of you have heard many of them. Each child is different, each family is different, but if I hear of a case where I don't agree, I will say so. Adamantly, and I'll explain why. My opinions on these things do not come from thin air. Chances are, I'm never going to have kids. But it doesn't mean I'm a bonehead and I can't offer anything useful. In short, if someone asks advice on how to do X with a CFer, and I feel I have a worthwhile two cents, I'm going to offer it.
I think parents could learn a lot from adult CFers here, if they choose to open their minds wide enough to let in some advice they may not like at first glance. Yes, you'll get good advice from other parents. And no, some of us don't know what it's like to be a parent. But we know what it's like to be in your child's shoes, and if you're trying to do the best for <i>them</i>, you may want to listen when we pipe up. Our situations may not always collide with yours, but chances are, at some point, they will. And then you'll want to hear what we have to say.
We don't have the authority (if you want to be real elitist about it) to give parenting advice. But this forum is not for general parenting advice. It's for CF advice (which often goes hand in hand with parenting advice). And when it comes to CF advice, we have all the authority necessary to give it.