When I first became a dad, I was given a lot of great advice, like 'sleep when they sleep,' 'Doona's are the best stroller,' and 'do everything you can for your wife.'But no one ever warned me about the theatrical culture that parents are dropped into once our children enter preschool.It is a world comprised of passive-aggressive do-gooders, winking resentments, judgmental smiles, and exhausted nurtures.
It wasn't so much the uncompromising requests behind false smiles as it was the disregard of boundaries, something I am deeply uncomfortable with because of my personal aversion to conformity and social pressure.Navigating the hierarchy is like a game of chess, requiring mental effort and unneeded stress.For example, my wife's 'Moms' group chat content contradicts the private messages shared between them all, making her frustrated with the hypocritical energy.