he should or shouldn't he?

"He should sleep through the night."

"He should sleep in his own bed."

"He shouldn't play in puddles."

"He should already eat pieces."

"Shouldn't he be already potty-trained?"

Sounds familiar?

Why are we trying to put children in tables and if they don't fit, it's wrong? Why do we think all children should be the same? Why is uniformity so desired?

Sometimes some of  these "should" pieces of advice get into my head and always, I repeat ALWAYS, it leads to troubles, it is so exhausting to try to make Teodor what I think he should do instead of just following his lead. I am now thinking maybe that's why is motherhood for so many people so exhausting because they try to fit into what is expected and it's damn difficult to make the child do what/when they are not ready for (it).

"You should cook."

"You should clean."

Blah blah

These are quotes my mother quite often tells me on skype. They drive me nuts. Should I cook just because she says so? Should I cook because I am expected to or isn't it better to cook because if we have warm meal, I feel better than living on bread all day long? 

Why do people like tell other people what they should do (in their opinion). When I was thinking about this post, I realized that I'm telling the dad what he should do about Teodor (you should get up earlier and play with your son) and then I realized that must drive him nuts. So, I am changing the wording :) Or maybe I will try to get myself less involved...?

My point...It is the best to ignore all the good "should" pieces of advice because you know your child the best and we all do not have to be the same because then the life would be boring. And it will save you a lot of nerves (you need for something else). Besides, almost all children will eventually start sleeping at night, eat pieces, use the toilet,...