Personal Integrity in Parenting: When to Take Others “Helpful Advice”

As a mom, I sometimes have a tendency to second guess the decisions I make about how I’m raising my kids. Especially when I’m confronted with another’s parenting choice. When you’re expecting your first (or second or third child), you can be faced with all sorts of choices: Am I going to have a natural birth? Do I vaccinate? Should I breastfeed or formula feed? Is it wrong to let my baby sleep in bed with my husband and I? And it goes on and on, even after the baby is born.

In my study of Scientology basics, I’ve come across the article “Personal Integrity” many, many times — I can even quote some of it. In it, L. Ron Hubbard says:

“Personal integrity is knowing what you know — what you know is what you know — and having the courage to know and say what you have observed. And that is integrity and there is no other integrity.” — LRH

But it wasn’t until just recently, while having a discussion with my friend about child-raising, that I realized the application of this article to my life as a mom. And it really helped me inspect the things I was second guessing and decide that they were the correct thing to be doing for myself and my family.