If you’ve ever attended an ante-natal class or a mother and baby group then you’ve probably come across one of these particular breeds of parents. Originating in the good old US of A the term “sanctimommy” (combining the words sanctimonious and mommy) or “sanctimummy” as we Brits would say, defines that special type of mother who has a tendency to make other mothers feel inadequate about their parenting styles.
They’re the ones who will tut at you if they spot you giving your toddler a piece of chocolate (heaven forbid) or you reveal that, yes, you did in fact, formula feed. If you’re reading this thinking that it sounds a little bit too close to home then read on, the following points will help you determine whether you too, are a sanctimummy.
1) Interfering In Feeding Choices
When another Mummy friend revealed that she gave up breast-feeding after weeks of problems you spent twenty minutes showing her links from your phone that prove that breast is best.
2) Sense Of Humour Failure
You fail to see the funny side when another parent jokes about wanting their old life back after a particular trying day with a teething two year old.
3) No Chocolate At Christmas
You gave your child an advent calendar from Holland and Barrett that had dried fruit instead of chocolate in it.
4) My Way Or The Highway At Bedtime
You think that any parent who has used any form of sleep training that is different to the method you used is wrong, period. It doesn’t matter that their child sleeps ten hours a night whilst yours still wakes every two. They are still in the wrong.
5) Facebook Frenzy
All of your Facebook posts contain the words “blessed” and a picture of your special snowflake. If anyone posts anything negative about parenting on Facebook you feel it is your moral duty to point out how lucky they are to have their children.
6) “Well I Read In Smith & Smith…”
You have read all of the parenting books you can find and now consider yourself to be an expert in child development even though you graduated with a 2-1 in English literature.
7) School Catchment Areas
You chose your house before your child was even conceived based on the rating of the local school and cannot understand why your parent friends have failed to do the same.
8) No Screen Time Allowed
Your child has reached the age of four and never watched a single minute of CBeebies. Even during that time when your partner was away and you had a chronic stomach bug you still devoted yourself to entertaining your child with craft activities. You think any mother who does differently is seriously damaging their child.
9) Only Organic
You have only ever fed your child with organic vegetables, organic meat, quinoa, and brown rice and not once have you ever decided to just get a takeaway pizza because you were too tired to cook. In fact, you have a whole freezer full of organic home cooked meals for your little one that you can use in an emergency or take over to your friend’s house when she invites you and your family over for dinner because you know that she uses ready-made pasta sauce.
10) Online “Advice”
You visit parenting forums daily to try and convert other Mums to your way of thinking. You take it as a personal insult when other users disagree with you.
