Julie Jay: The reviews are in — we parents are more sensitive than you think

Even the most well-intentioned of feedback can feel like a dagger to the heart when you are knee-deep in the trenches of new parenting

Pic: iStock

THE thing you don’t realise after you’ve had a baby is just how susceptible you will be to comments from other people. Every passing remark stings what is an already gaping wound. In case you think I’m talking about that other gaping wound that results from childbirth please know I’m being a little more metaphorical and talking about my heart for those less civilised minds down the back.

When JJ was but six weeks old, I can remember a wise person telling me that when you have a newborn, “every comment is wounding,” and it is amazing how often the observation has come back to me, mostly when we encounter people in shops and on the street. They voice concern at JJ’s poorly selected outfit choice, or whether he’s comfortable in his buggy, or the length of his fingernails, or some equally well-intentioned but totally unwelcome feedback on what I perceive as my lack of parenting skills.