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[quote=Anonymous]OP I bet you get more random advice from other parents specifically because you aren't from the US. Like part of this might be a school culture or DC culture thing but also it might just be part of your immigrant experience. And this might also be why it's annoying you so much. These other parents might be assuming that you need help because you aren't "from here" and think they are doing you a favor by filling you in on how Americans parent or solve certain parenting problems. But also that attitude is kind of inherently condescending (just because you are from another country doesn't mean you need help parenting) so you may be responding to that condescension. But the people doing it might not even realize they are doing it.

I think the people in the thread talking about how they bond with their friends by sharing advice and knowledge about parenting are having a fundamentally different experience than what you are having because they are on equal footing with those friends whereas you may feel like the moms at your kids' school are kind of talking down to you.

Also I would not be surprised if they feel intimidated because you are British and a lot of status-conscious Americans think British people are automatically higher status (and also in the DC area there's a lot of caché around being from another country especially if you are hear working in diplomacy or for an NGO or similar). So some of the advice giving might be an effort to assert themselves with you and make themselves feel better because of a perceived inferiority.

I think your experience is unique.[/quote]

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