opinions, opinions, opinions!  we are all surrounded by them each and every day!  we also give our opinions each and every day, so we are just as much to blame as those around us!  the funny thing is some have a hard time understanding that someone else's opinion shouldn't be taken personally and you don't have to agree!  agree to disagree is my way of dealing with surrounding opinions.    i of course have lots of opinions about parenting, sleep training, child behaviour management, schedules, routines, and more!  this is why i have a blog.  i post my opinions.  you of course can agree or disagree with some or all of what i have to say.  that's the beauty of our world.  you have the freedom to believe what you want.  parenting is a topic that contains more opinions than most.  i feel it's right up there with politics!  i parent different then she.  she parents different than he and they parent different than you!  there is no right or wrong way to parent as long as you love your kids.  treat them properly and do your best to parent in a fair manner.  of course abusive and neglectful parenting is wrong, but if you are a loving parent than it doesn't matter if you parent differently than your neighbour. last night i was at a dinner party and i had the craziest conversation about how i structure or better yet, that i have structure in our household and they do not.  they were shocked that we had routine, structure, a plan, and thought things out as a couple.  they are the go with the flow type of people and the word schedule isn't even part of their vocabulary.  each day is never the same for them.  i was being questioned or maybe rather drilled about the way we live our lives.  i stood my ground.  gave my side of the debate and my reasoning for why this works for us and before long she was loving what she was learning from me.  she was still very much in shock and couldn't believe the way we live, but she came around by the end and realized herself that it's not a slam on her way or a negative on mine.  we are just different.  my kids go to bed by 6pm each night and bedtime isn't a scheduled time in her kids' lives.  do i agree with that?  no!  but we can agree to disagree and move on!  no hard feelings!  i stand strongly for the way i parent my children and the way my husband and i work as a team in our marriage and family.  it makes NO difference to me what anyone else has to say about it.  it also makes NO difference to me that others live their lives differnt from me and parent in a different manner.  the key is that you do what works for you and not for them!  i love to hear others opinions, as we do learn so much from those around us.  you just have to remember that when someone has something to say to you about how you do things as a parent or life in general you need to listen, say your part in a non-defensive way and move on.  changing someone else's opinion is not easily done and there really is no need for it.  agree to disagree that's the best way!!  you are doing your best as a parent.  you do what works for you and your family and that's really all anyone can ask.  humans are all different and all opinionated so learn to agree to disagree and you'll save yourself some heartache and stress along the way! click here to subscribe to mommy secrets and get the latest posts direct to your email!  thanks for reading, sharing my blog and happy parenting!