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Feb. 19th, 2003 08:19 pm*fidget* LJ not working right...
In 10th grade, my AP Bio teacher encouraged me not to bother taking the AP test since I was doing poorly in the class. I didn't take it that year, but took it a year later and got 4 out of 5 - better than most of the people who had taken the class last year. This with very little study. (His testing methods were poor - he gave the same test year after year, so most of the class just memorized and regurgitated previous tests. I certainly could have studied harder and done better on his tests, but even without that, I tend to have better than average long-term recall of things that weren't well-learned in the first place).
When I quit college, I was told that if I left, I'd never go back. Well, if things go right, I'll be graduating with honors this semester. So there.
People are telling me similar about parenting choices, like cloth diapering. They say I'll give up on it after a short while.
Well, perhaps I will, but isn't it better to go into it thinking that I can do it, rather than giving up before I try? Plenty of people manage it - it's obviously not impossible.
What does it hurt to try? If it doesn't work out, I have a bunch of cloth diapers that can't be used for their original intended purpse. I can resell them on ebay (yes, as bad as it sounds, there is apparently a huge market for used cloth diapers!), or use them as burp rags, or backup if I run out of disposables, or any number of other things.
I'm going into parenthood with ideals. If they end up not working out, I know the basics of other parenting methods, and know where to find more information if I need it. I'm not going to beat myself up over it - it's not my fault if information given to me was incorrect. So don't tell me beforehand that it's pointless. Just because you think something can't be done doesn't mean it's true.
In 10th grade, my AP Bio teacher encouraged me not to bother taking the AP test since I was doing poorly in the class. I didn't take it that year, but took it a year later and got 4 out of 5 - better than most of the people who had taken the class last year. This with very little study. (His testing methods were poor - he gave the same test year after year, so most of the class just memorized and regurgitated previous tests. I certainly could have studied harder and done better on his tests, but even without that, I tend to have better than average long-term recall of things that weren't well-learned in the first place).
When I quit college, I was told that if I left, I'd never go back. Well, if things go right, I'll be graduating with honors this semester. So there.
People are telling me similar about parenting choices, like cloth diapering. They say I'll give up on it after a short while.
Well, perhaps I will, but isn't it better to go into it thinking that I can do it, rather than giving up before I try? Plenty of people manage it - it's obviously not impossible.
What does it hurt to try? If it doesn't work out, I have a bunch of cloth diapers that can't be used for their original intended purpse. I can resell them on ebay (yes, as bad as it sounds, there is apparently a huge market for used cloth diapers!), or use them as burp rags, or backup if I run out of disposables, or any number of other things.
I'm going into parenthood with ideals. If they end up not working out, I know the basics of other parenting methods, and know where to find more information if I need it. I'm not going to beat myself up over it - it's not my fault if information given to me was incorrect. So don't tell me beforehand that it's pointless. Just because you think something can't be done doesn't mean it's true.
