Have you heard about Dog Shaming? It’s a site where people post pictures of their dogs with notes detailing the bad things they have done in the first person, like “I steal things from people’s purses and hide them under the bed” and “I ate the tophat from Monopoly”.
I don’t have a dog. I have a two-year-old. So here is my contribution…
I’m calling it BABY SHAMING.
Of course, it would be more accurate if the note read:
“I demanded pasta for breakfast but when presented with a cereal bowl full of spaghetti, I started screaming, took it to the living room and tossed it on the new rug. When Mom asked me to pick it up, I said no, I wanted to watch Dora. Mom said I couldn’t watch Dora until after I cleaned up the pasta so I started screaming again. Then Mom sat me in my room for a time out and said I could get up if I cleaned up the pasta. So I screamed and kicked my feet and made sure she knew how incredibly unfair this all was. Then Mom shut the door leaving me inside. I banged and screamed on the door for what seemed like an eternity. She came back and asked if I was ready to pick up the pasta. I said no. She shut the door again. I screamed and screamed and screamed. Finally, I stopped. She opened the door again and asked, “Are you ready to clean up the pasta?” I said yes. Then I picked up the pasta.”
Here’s one from something she did a year ago, but is still tough to think about:
And this one is from yesterday morning:
I could go on FOREVER really…
BUT… I think it would be way more intesesting if any of you felt compelled to submit your own baby shaming pics. (Plus, Mazzy began to catch on and started crumpling up my notes.)
If I get enough good ones, I’ll post them next week. Just post them on the wall of the Mommy Shorts facebook fanpage.
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“Baby Shaming: Reader Edition” is now posted!
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Oh, fun! I could dig out some of Alyssa’s baby pictures and photoshop in a sign. She’d love that!
My baby shaming has to do with poop. Of course.
We do not like this idea.
Thank you, yet again, for helping me to know that I’m not alone! My 2.5 year old and Mazzy may be twins separated at birth!! 🙂
I’m sure it’s only because Bert and Duke are perfect children (as depicted by their perfect Facebook lives) and would have nothing to contribute in the way of shame or regret.
I can take a joke…But, I don’t find this funny… Shaming is never funny.
I’m all over this. Need some time with a Sharpie and my camera. . . more to come, babe.
I don’t know … my fear is that our children are actually smarter than us (well, in my house that is true anyway), probaby know how to read and are faking they don’t to keep us under their beck and call (as who would refuse to read to their kid?) – we already must accept they are more techo-savvy than we can ever hope to be … so point is, I fear that (since unlike dogs, they have opposable thumbs so can type whereas dogs are limited by whether or not their owners have purchased a touch screen) they will use this type of forum as an idea generator … “What? You threw up in your carseat? AND you threw your pasta … but not just anywhere, on the NEW RUG!?!? Awesomesauce, I gotta try that … (baby high five)”.
Love it-so wish I had a baby to shame! But in regards to your Babble post-I can’t believe what you went through…that was more than rough. So amazing to see that you and Mazzy came out of it alright ^.^
“Yay to publicly shaming our children! They deserve it!” Um….no. I love ya Mommy Shorts, but this idea doesn’t resonate with me.
I think the name “baby Shaming” is throwing people off. To me it’s just a note with something that they did that other parents can relate to. Personally it made me laugh
I love love love dog-shaming.com, but they are dogs. Dogs will never read, never figure out what ‘shaming’ is, and yet people still get upset about that website. I think you’re in for some nasty comments.
My kids have pulled some doozies, and I’ve found ways to handle it with humor, but this? I’m really glad I’m not your kid. Classy.
Ooohweee, mind if I pull up a chair and grab a big bowl of popcorn? This is gonna be good.
She looks pretty proud over the blankie incident. You are obviously not shaming well enough. Lol I’ll have to do it with my kiddo. Babies have no clue what’s going on, but how great will it be to look at later? First boyfriend/girlfriend, anybody? Haha
I actually had reservations when I first came up with the idea but I thought the examples I used are pretty universal for a 2yo. Nothing I wouldn’t say in a blog post. I was trying to be sarcastic with the line you quoted above but maybe it doesn’t come off that way coupled with the pictures.
I definitely don’t think it’s appropriate for older children. Babies under 1yo would probably be the funniest.
I also agree with Jess in the comment below that the word “shaming” is making it seem worse than it is. But I used that because it was a spoof on the dog shaming site.
I get where you are coming from though.
People could use some lightening up. Obviously you’re not really shaming your daughter. And we all know that you’d never want to shame your child or any child because you’re not a raging asshole. Clearly the word is used as a play on the other site. Clearly the examples you gave are not at all shaming. Clearly you are not rubbing her nose in her own excrement, which would be actual shaming. Maybe you need a disclaimer at the top: The humorless and/or the stupid need to read.
Fwiw, I’m really not humorless or stupid…I just get weary of humor that pretends that children somehow grasp the implications of what they’re doing. It’s cute with LOLcats and such, but when it comes to babies/children, there are enough ignorant people out there who take for granted that their child was actually trying to ruin their day instead of displaying a developmental quirk. 😛 Maybe the “shame” hits too closely matches reality for my rural area, and that’s why I cringe.
People freaked out about shaming pets too. But after they were done being outraged they all went back to playing World of Warcraft and making barley milk for their infants and it all died down pretty quick.
Having a child own up to their poor decisions isn’t shaming. It’s good parenting, no matter what their age. Retelling a factual event? Also not shaming. If only everyone would help their children realize that some things just aren’t acceptable. Shaming is making them feel badly or guilty about it. I don’t see any guilt-throwing. We all make mistakes, and we all need to learn from them. Using signs just might help! Start young! Save us all some headaches!
Oh if only the dh had taken pics when he decided to sleep through our ninja son crawling over his gate, walking into the office, taking off his diaper, and pooping then smearing said poop allllllll over the office, dining room, and floor in between. I was out of town. It was awesome, unless you were my husband. But he would deserve his own “shame pic” for drinking a bottle of wine the night before….almost a year later and the kid still talks about how we don’t poop in the office. He’s 3.
Then you have no sense of humor. Perhaps this is not the site for you. Line for lacking in any amusement is the the left please…
Don’t even apologize! Its a funny bit. People need to lighten up. I have 4 kids. The things I can share will amuse you to no end. I can do with myself even better….I will go do that now…just to make you feel better…
Wow… people will find anything to complain about. It’s a joke!!
Wow, I’m surprised by the negative comments… I think most parents could relate to these and yeah she maybe “shaming” isn’t a word to be used lightly normally, but clearly she was kidding and it was said tongue in cheek. Lighten up people!
Bert and Duke are actually the children of a good friend of mine who is a regular reader. This might not be the case with some of the other comments, but I am pretty positive this one was written in good humor.
I had no idea that people are upset about the dog shaming site. But I am not a dog person so what do I know.
Hopefully, most people will see this for what it is— a joke. It was not intended to be an actual punishment. Nor do I think that any of these things are actually punishable offenses— they are just what toddlers do.
But I am bracing myself. It might be a rough day.
I don’t really think my daughter did anything wrong in any of these instances (except with the pasta thing where she needed a time out).
That’s why I looked at it as a joke and not really shaming. But I appreciate that everyone might not agree.
A few of the negative comments are from regular readers so I know they have a sense of humor. I think “shame” is just a strong word and people don’t take it lightly.
I wonder if I had framed it differently if people would have gotten upset. But it was supposed to be a spoof on the dog shaming site.
As I said above, I do not actually believe that Mazzy deserved punishment for anything I wrote above. She’s a toddler! I gave her a time out for the pasta thing, but I cleaned that car seat out without saying a word and wore my ketchup stained shirt with pride.
Oh man! That is rough. I think your husband might have needed to take out a billboard as opposed to a piece of paper:)
No reservations, mommy! My 3yr old is going to own and rock this! First sign is going to read “I ate my booger and then said the baby did it.”
Dog shaming is funny. Baby shaming is not. Even if they totally deserve it.
You actually are all class, the way you’re handling these comments. Especially pregnant. I’d be reaching through my computer for some serious bitch-slapping.
Do you honestly, in your heart of hearts, see any actual shaming here? There is no one here who would argue with you that baby shaming is not funny. Of course not!
Maybe, just maybe, Mommy Shorts is borrowing the phrasing from the other site, and it’s all kind of a light-hearted joke. Maybe, just maybe, after reading the post, and realizing that there is NO SHAMING HERE, a reader might recognize this and not take issue with it.
It should be obvious to everyone that you are not really doing this as punishment, and she is not really feeling much shame (evidence the blankie photo) but is only intended for humor. Seeeeeriously people!
Oh gosh. It’s not like you actually photographed your child being punished or something. Now THAT would be tasteless.
We write about things like this all the time, just without the kids holding the signs. I doubt they’ll need therapy for it.
Okay, this is funny. I’m only afraid to participate because People of Facebook are notoriously humorless. Let’s not forget Angry Baby Wars of 2011 at Mommyshorts. You have the best ideas, though.
Love it. My son is grown with his first on the way. Can’t wait until he and his wife get to experience some of the “joy” he unleashed. His sign would read “I peed in the VCR”
I plan to this myself now…esp since we fight out over what side of the car we are sitting on ..every single, GD day! Maybe if they knew that I’d make a video or picture collage of their dramatics they’d stop crying about “Mommy’s side” or NOT. 😉
BTW, Mazzy is beyond cute…honestly, I would let her wipe ketchup on my too.
. . . just to clarify, I’m referring to the entertainment value of over-reacting judgmental people who get their panties in a wad over not understanding the humor in something that is CLEARLY a joke. I like to call them “Facebitches.” Hang in there Ilana! We’ve got your back.
Move over, dammit, my big booty needs space. WHERE’S THE SALT?
Eh. Maybe it’s the word shame, maybe it’s not. Maybe Mercury is in retrograde or some commenters are zombies. All I know is Baby Embarrassment or Baby NotOkayness or Baby Disgrace just aren’t as funny (and the spoof on dog shaming is what makes it funniER). Hell, the funniest one to me is the pee one and that’s not even shaming Mazzy! Psssh. Baby Ignominy.
Before anyone is allowed to criticize your parenting, I respectfully request that they read every post on your blog, which clearly highlights what an awesome, intuitive, involved, loving Mom you are. Then, if they still disagree with this idea, fair enough. Every blog post just like every parenting moment can’t always be a winner. Do not judge a blog only on your least-liked post … and do NOT judge a parent based on one snippet of information! And for the love of Pete, do not come to a parenting HUMOUR blog, then be offended when you read a HUMOUR piece, even if it is humour that is not your cup of tea.
And also, seriously? If you are going to post a critique, at least be fair about it. Judge the action, judge the idea, not the person. I WISH I was 1/2 the Mom Ilana is – two kids later, 13+ years in a parenting-related profession, and her parenting puts me to shame. She is honesty, humour, involvement, and unconditional love … as demonstrated by her BRILLIANT handling of the pasta-throwing episode ( which was spot on) ( at least before you posted the sign … haha, just kidding! lol!)
We definitely have a sense of humor, as evidenced by our threats of “I’m gonna throw your nose in the trash!” (Bert) and ironic wearing of a bowtie bib (Duke).
OMFG, this is truly the funniest comment EVER! Gold Jerry … gold! (snorts out coffee re: WoW and barley milk, hahahahahaha!).
Facebitches! Ha ha!
Hope you don’t get too bombed with negativity over this joke. I certainly “get it”. Not sure I’d participate for my own comfort level, but I do get it as a joke!
Wow… people are judgemental. I thought this story was funny, not at all in bad taste / parenting. I would hate to be a ‘dance mom’ with a blog or Twitter account… can you imagine the comments people would leave there?! 🙂
My thoughts exactly! I get where you’re coming from, Ilana, but I think I’ll sit this one out for a couple of reasons. Not the least of which is that my mother would give me an earful if I “shamed” her grandbaby all over the Interwebs – and I just don’t have the energy to deal with that shit.
I do hope, for your sake, that the more judgmental among us (ahem) attempt to maintain a modicum of decorum. Remember what Mom always said, folks: If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
I have learned that if you don’t have a sense of humor while raising kids, you’re not going to make it. I have a 2 1/2 yr old and a 2 month old. Of course right now my 2 month old is perfect, but once he reaches his brothers age I’ll be pulling my hair out all over again. This is just a funny way to try and not stress the small stuff! I can honestly say my oldest has done plenty for a sign! Mostly for the laughing aspect of it! He peed in his Dads shoe once because Daddy told him no! We wanted to be mad, but how could you? What 2-year-old knows to pee in someone elses shoe!? Of course he had a time out, but a sign would have made it a memory for the scrapbook!
Oh man. How do I shame the babies that are now 8 and 5?!? I have a lot of white paper and black marker writing to do… 😉
P.S. that second shot is killin’ me! HA HA HA!
I love this and will join in. I have so many things right off the top of my head that I could use.
Can’t really understand why some are offended. It’s cute! It’s motherhood. It’s funny. And I guarantee that these kids will look back on these and laugh out loud at the antics they did as kids. This is in NO way shaming. Lighten up people.
Can’t wait to play
Hahahahahhahahahahahahaha!!!!! This is hilarious. No joke, made my day. I have been thinking all day of things I could do for my 7 month old. And I have shared this post with several people.
Thanks for always making me smile. 🙂
Mine would read something to the effect of
“We waited until Mommy took a little time for herself to read a funny blog and proceeded to completely trash the playroom/living room and jump like mindless heathens (or Parkur experts) from the couch to the ottoman to the antique chair and back again thus breaking the ottoman which Mommy will now have to explain to Daddy when he gets home that all this happened when she was distracted by the computer.”
Sigh. Thanks a LOT for your wonderful (albeit terribly distracting) ideas, Ilana!
I’ve seen quite a few news stories about Dog-shaming lead with the title “Funny website or animal abuse?” for serious.
I think you are amazingly hilarious and always spot-on. And this is hysterical. In fact, I am thinking of busting out a Sharpie and some paper and “shaming” both my kids AND my dog together!
I think people need to lighten up SERIOUSLY. If I did not have facebook, mommy shorts, and other websites to laugh and share some of the things my children have done I would probably be rocking in a corner somewhere(with drool coming out of one side of my mouth, waiting for my husband to go and pick up my new prescription of antidepressants and anxiety meds. It is funny, it’s not like anyone is going to hang a sandwich board on their baby and drop them off in the middle of downtown. lol
Exactly!!!
So let me explain a few things to you, missy! I love this. That is all!
Also, I too had toxo but not during pregnancy. They think I got it while out of the country possibly from eating undercooked pork. Something I may or may not have done (who pays attention to that when on vacay?). I would like you to do a linky on this and I will be all over it!
oxoxox
So funny. And so no different than things we tell our girlfriends on the phone so we can decompress…so what’s the problem? If my kids weren’t in the witness protection program (ie. strict rules about photos of them on the internet), I’d be all over this.
In the words of Clint Eastwood, “Lighten up, Francis.” And we all know what a great father-figure he is! LOL!!!
This just idea just makes me ….. SMILE. Thanks for that!!!
I know I’m totally behind with this one – but these examples are absolutely general – and I am relieved (in more ways than one) to find that other parents get to show their “squat and pee” style to everyone waiting in line at a restaurant bathroom.
I agree, Allison!
These are great, I can totally relate to them! People need to lighten up!
I am new to your blog lured here by Hollow Tree Ventures. I think what you did here was cute, I have four kiddos who I have taught to laugh at themselves. My children range from 10-2 years old. When I showed them these pics they pointed out ones that reminded them of when they had done something similar and we all got a few laughs reminiscing. There will always be those negative comments, but I think that you are handling them well, a lot better than others might. You are not belittling your child for being a child but simply having fun with situations that can be not so fun. Hmmm I wonder how long I could get my two year old to sit still with signs…
I’m a little late here. But totally down w/ shaming. That is AWESOME. WIsh I had thought of it when my kids were a bit younger. Especially love the unabridged explanation that went along w/ the 1st photo but couldn’t fit on the sign.
I’m crying from laughing so hard. I can’t wait to wrote one for my 2 y/o…”I was up asking to trick or treat from 2 am until 5:30 am.”
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