Great suggestions! No one is going to agree 100% with how you do things. The important thing is that you feel good about what you're doing.
No two moms are going to raise a child the same way. Just like no two babies are going to be the same. I admit to later crying over harsh criticism (usually that happened when I was already down feeling) but for the most part, I truly believe the criticizer means well. We do the best we can and as long as our children are healthy, happy, and safe then we can't be doing such a terrible job, can we? :)
As a new parent I think I accepted that I had no real clue what I was doing. I was open to suggestions and help, I just wish some of my family were more thoughtful about how their advice was delivered to me. Sometimes there is a judgment that comes with the advice and that still makes me mad.
Probably one of the hardest things as a parent is to hear how you're doing or what you're doing wrong...especially since we're hard on ourselves anyone. I live in New York and because I'm constantly in a group/public setting, lots of other mothers' eyes are on me and I've had moms come up to me and tell me "put a hat your baby," "don't put a hat b/c they need to get use to the cold," "cover your baby with a blanket b/c of germs..." At the end of the day, just as this article says, it's up to yourself to feel confident that you're doing what's right for your child.
I found a lot of strangers gave me encouragement and compassion like the experienced mom of 2 who told me it would get easier while I sat shell-shocked and exhausted with my firstborn in a Starbucks. I think the family criticism is hardest to handle but agree you need to have your priorities in order and stick to them--even if it means having to step out of family functions to nurse without offending anyone. The upside is that my second born who nursed for a year has an immune system of steel which more than makes up for a little criticism!
When criticism comes from my friends, I always remind myself to welcome it with open arms. If ANYONE should be criticizing me constructively it should be the people who care for me right? :)
Great advice, and a lot of it is applicable to handling any criticism not just parenting.
There are some great ideas in here. The most important thing for me to know when I started getting criticized was that I was not alone. Other friends would tell me that they too experienced the same thing. Someone is always going to have a different way of doing things. I also think we tend to be super sensitive about this type of criticism because we care so much about doing the right thing for our children. I just put it in context and remember that.