Huffington Magazine Issue 59 | Page 35

HUFFINGTON 07.28.13 GETTY IMAGES/TETRA IMAGES RF Voices JOHN KINNEAR 5 Things Parents Need to Stop Saying to Non-Parents IRST, I should say that I am 100 percent guilty of all of these. I know this reads as an advice list, but really it’s advice I’m giving myself. The “you” I am addressing in this piece is me... unless it applies to you; then it is you. ¶ I ran headfirst into this parenting thing, and have gladly and gratefully let it redefine me as a person. One unforeseen side-effect has been that I view everything through the lens of parenting. Sometimes that is a good thing. For instance, I don’t leave steak knives lying around as much as I used to. Sometimes — and this is what I’ve recently learned — it can alienate my non-kid-having friends. Here are some things that are better left unsaid.