Please stop giving unsolicited advice!

My mum commented the other day, "Jappy, you've changed so much that I don't know how to talk to you any more. You seemed to be mad with people easily."

I thought about it, and yes, perhaps she is right. Since pregnant in 2006, I have been bombarded everyday with "helpful advice" from everyone, including complete strangers, on all matters of how to handle a baby/kid. Most of such advise were unsolicited, and those comments made me feel like a complete fool.

To a man who doesn't understand this situation, let me offer an analogy:
Suppose you are a driver who just purchased a new car. You're busy trying to negotiate through the rush hour traffic, while remembering to get used to the gears, brakes, rear mirror, and listen to the radio at the same time. All this time, everyone is offering you "helpful advice":

You should get a bigger car you know... You should get a yellow paint for you car, coz my car is yellow too... You should wash your car more often, coz I washed mine once a week... You should use the brakes more gently... You should have turned at that last intersection... You don't know how to change the engine oil? What kind of a driver are you?... I could drive a car with just one hand, why can't you?... In my days, I could remember all the roads of the entire suburb, why can't you?...

All that blabbering in your ears in the name of "trying to be helpful". And worse yet, some of those advice comes from people who has never driven a car before! Does that not make you mad?

In my taking care of EggEgg everyday, I am absolutely bombarded by such useless comments. It drives me nuts. For the umpteenth time in the month, mum asked, "Why isn't EggEgg speaking yet? You should teach him how to speak, you know." And for the millionth time, Tonton's mum commented, "You should toilet train EggEgg now, Tonton was toilet trained since birth".

Why is it that everyone thinks that they have a right to "advise" you on child-rearing? When I was working as a professional in an office environment, I don't have colleagues poking my back everyday with stupid comments like,
You should turn on the computer first thing in the morning... You should save your Word document every 5 minutes... I've written a 5-page long email, why can't you?...

Alas, how I miss my days of being surrounded by intelligent people!