Hypocritical Self-Righteous Outrage

Usually I stick to my own hypocritical self-righteous outrage, but this time, I'm taking on others'.

Recently, I've seen people blather on about how they could NEVER put their child in a t-shirt that suggests they're something other than perfect and sweet. No, no funny shirts for them. Those are "offensive" and, to some, make them "sad for the child" and assume the parents are "immature."

These shirts are the types that they're talking about...


And yeah, I get it. I like seeing these shirts...on other kids. I think they're funny...for other people. I wouldn't put them on my daughter, but I don't think simply putting them on a child and taking a picture constitutes a reason for outrage or a holier-than-thou judgement for this reason alone.

These people can be fantastic parents but have a dark or sick sense of humor. You think it makes you a better parent to slather your kid in things that say "Princess" or "Heartbreaker"? Those messages are unapologetically egotistical and entitled. And given that you are willing to label your child with such arrogance, does that make you more mature than someone who is willing to find humor in the obviously tongue-in-cheek super-imposition of adult penis size jokes on a baby who doesn't have the same stigma?

Let's put this in perspective.

Clothes are not permanent. For the most part, people throw their kids in these clothes for the sake of a picture and move on. Usually, it doesn't become fodder for Christmas cards or family newsletters.

By contrast, piercing your baby's ears is permanent body mutilation for the sake of adornment. Tattooing a baby is illegal, if you pierced a nipple or a nose that would be as well. I don't think ears should be any different. You are altering their body for the sake of a look you like.

And how about some of you that name your children RIDICULOUS things? I mean, I'm all for a unique name, but...there's being original and then there's being an asshole.

I recently heard of a couple who named their child Lucky. (Everyone make your own jokes.) Based on the name alone, he obviously is not. Worse yet, if it had been a girl, they were going to name her Camper. You want to talk about permanent damage, a lack of foresight, and subjecting your child to something unnecessary?...and you're worried about a t-shirt.

I like to think that, like me and my husband, my daughter will not be perfect but she will like herself and have a sense of humor. And by the time she'd be able to understand a joke in a picture, she'd also have no doubt in her mind that it was just a joke and find humor in it as well. I mean, she will have been brought up by us, afterall.

You know, I wish people would spend their time, energy, and judgement on things that actually MATTER. But instead, some would rather throw on the halo, grab the megaphone, and seek out those they disagree with.

In the meantime, their child with the name derived from their favorite type of cheese is taking antibiotics so she doesn't get infected after the elective surgical procedure her parents just subjected her to so she gets to look prettier for when they voluntarily hand her to the bearded stranger in the mall dressed in the Santa suit.

Makes perfect sense to me.