Cultural Differences: Parenting Practices

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Let's face it--being a mommy is a tough job no matter where you are in the world.  Most people have their own opinions about how you should be doing your job.  Many of those people are even willing to share their opinions with you [thanks]!  I had only been a mother for about six months by the time we moved to Brazil.  Still, I have encountered some distinct differences between Brazilian child-rearing ideologies and my own.  Here are just a few Brazilian parenting tips that I'm up against:

Your baby is crying because he's cold.  Even if it is 90+ degrees and he's dripping with sweat, he's cold.  For the love of God, put some socks on that baby before he freezes to death!  I try to explain that there was a giant snowstorm the day Little Man was born, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Once a baby is six months old, he can eat and drink anything, including coffee.  His first tooth signifies that he is ready to start chowing down on steak and sausage at the next churrasco.  I tried to keep my father-in-law from feeding Little Man an orange when he was only 6 months old basically by yelling "No, no, no!" [limited language skills].  He laughed and fed him the orange anyway.

8:00 p.m. is waaaaay too early for a one-year-old to go to bed.  Don't you know all the best parties don't even really get going until at least 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.  We've disrupted a couple get-togethers by leaving too early at 9:30 or so.  I think it's funny that everyone wants Little Man to stay up late, but then keeps asking why he's a grump when he's up past his bedtime :)

A bar is a perfectly acceptable place for a baby on a Friday or Saturday night.  The bars are all open-air patios so he'll barely notice all the cigarette smoke swirling in the evening air.  I suppose it is important that children learn to socialize.

How about you?  Share your best strange parenting advice in the comments!