by Liz Braden (follow)

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As his mother, I have the right to decide what I will and won't expose him to.

From time to time, people will do things around our children that will invoke the mama bear. My son is nearing 10 months old and wants to put everything in his mouth, so my concerns primarily lie around random people handing him objects that he will then try to eat.

I know, overprotective right? *sarcasm*


And yet, I do get accused of being overprotective. Today, for example... I am currently in hospital, and my mother brought Little C to visit. That’s fine, I don’t mind him being in the hospital, but I do have certain rules:




Well, today a CSA (Consumer Services Assistant) came in, saw a baby, and handed him her keys before I could stop her, without asking if I minded her doing so. These keys are used to access toilet roll dispensers, paper towel dispensers, etc, in rooms where they may or may not have come into contact with serious communicable diseases. These diseases can be harmful or fatal for a young child without a fully developed immune system.

I was treated as being overprotective because I then swapped them out for one of his toys and handed them back. She even insisted that it was fine for him to suck on them, and then insisted that I should feed him one of the biscuits sitting on my overway tray. She was not happy when my mother and I both said no, that he could have a biscuit at home as he has his own and he had just had a meal.

Mumzilla? No. It’s called parenting.

At home, it’s a different story. At home, he can drop his dummy and I’ll just suck on it and give it back. At home, he rolls around on the carpet on the floor with no concerns. At home, he has a chance to build his immunity in an environment that is relatively safe. If he shoves dirt in his mouth, so be it; I’ll just wipe away the excess.

Mumzilla (helicopter Mum, overprotective mother) is a term that is thrown around too readily. Your child is YOUR child and it is your responsibility to care for them in the way that seems most appropriate to you. There is nothing wrong with trusting your gut, and you’re allowed to say no to people if you feel their actions are not in your child’s best interests.

I am not a Mumzilla. I am a normal mother who takes reasonable care with my son’s health. I do not sterilise and sanitise my child’s world, but I do not needlessly expose him to risk either.

It’s about time we were left to it. As his mother, I have the right to decide what I will and won’t expose him to. As your child’s mother, so do you. Nobody has the right to do anything that we are not comfortable with.

If they do, they’ll see what a Mumzilla truly is.

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