Unsolicited Advice

We've all been in situations where well-meaning friends or relatives, or even random old women in grocery stores, felt the need to hand out pearls of wisdom in regards to parenting.  Many times, the advice is terribly outdated, or at severe odds with our own lifestyle and values. 

The internet is full of tips on matching these unwanted encounters with either vitriol or gracious acceptance, and everything in-between.  There are message board threads and blog entries full of horror stories and snappy comebacks. 

But what about our own tried-and-true methods?  How often do we find ourselves tempted to stand over a new mother's shoulder in a department store, and suggest she try holding her fussy baby 'just so,' only to have a sudden flashback to a time when we were new to the game and would have bitten the hand of anyone who had dared something like that with us?

So my goal is simple: to compile and share anecdotes, links, resources, and life experiences for anyone that does want some advice.  It will be here, safely tucked away (and hopefully easy to reference) for future use.  And it will serve a dual purpose as an outlet for my own *ahem* pedagogy.