Why have strollers become such a philosophical debate to me?

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I was just reading Your Giant Stroller is Ruining It for the Rest of Us, and I don't quite know if I'm one of the jerks, or how my stroller behavior fits into society.

Most places I stroll with Mamie, she is a magnet for attention and cooing. However, in those places populated by young cool people, she gets me absolutely no special treatment. I think that mom/baby pairs are invisible to young singles, and I'm sure I had the same attitude at the time.

See my tummy?  I'm cute.
Yes, I have squeezed a giant stroller in tighter places than I should have, but I also have to get this human from place to place somehow! And I'm drowning half the time and just give me a break, ok?  I didn't even know how big my strollers were when I got them because I was drowning in a sea of WTF do I do to take care of this baby??

I just recently got a new (umbrella) stroller which is teeny and should not annoy anyone, really. But the decision about which stroller to get opened up a lot of questions in my mind about how much our strollers (or other baby paraphernalia) are essentially status symbols. How is that $1,000 stroller 20x better than my $50 stroller?  I do have one expensive stroller for running, and that is absolutely essential (in a sort of not-really-literal way). But it is worth it to us as people who want to incorporate the baby and activity into our lifestyle.

By not spending tens of thousands on strollers, nursery furniture, european toys and onesies, we can get spendy on trips and museum memberships and books.  I do NOT think one choice is better than the other, it's just a reflection of what's important to us. I'm afraid that still sounds judgey. I really don't mean for it to.

Oh! And we have to save up for concerts because Mamie is asking to go see Sleater-Kinney with Daddy.


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