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Ugly Babies, ugly, baby, ugly in the cradle, pretty at the table

Ugly babies in the Cradle,Pretty at the Table

by Deborah Cruz

Let’s talk about the old saying, “ugly babies in the cradle, pretty at the table.” I had never heard of it and quite frankly, took great offence at the thought of an adult calling a baby ugly. Are there such things as ugly babies?

Have you ever heard this crazy saying?

As most of you know, I am walking around in a new baby (nephew) induced fog. I am seeing the world with new eyes and loving on my own daughters harder and stronger than I did a couple days ago because of my reminder of the preciousness of childhood. The moment my beautiful nephew entered the world, all I could think was how very blessed we all our to have our babies children in our lives.

From the moment I saw my daughters’ faces, they were the most beautiful baby, no human, I had ever seen. They still are. They will always be.

I am their mother and their birth was the culmination of a whole lot of love. Their very existence is a constant reminder of how very blessed I am in this life. It was like looking upon the sun. It was joyous and humbling. With each birth, I was metamorphisized into a better person (even if it doesn’t feel like it on most days).

I thought every mother felt this way when she saw her baby for the first time. I naively thought that every mother thought her baby was the most beautiful baby in the world because to her it is the most beautiful baby in the world. I never imagined someone would call their own baby ugly.

Ugly Babies, ugly, baby, ugly in the cradle, pretty at the table

Ugly Babies don’t exist

This morning as I’m driving my girls to school, we are listening to the radio and the deejays are talking about a phrase used by parents “Ugly in the cradle, Pretty at the table” apparently this is something that parents say to console their children who they have told are ugly.WTF? Why would you ever tell anyone they are ugly, let alone your child?

READ ALSO: One in Ten Babies is Born this Way

Newsflash, people have mirrors they already know they are ugly. Kids know if they are not as cute as the kid next to them, but to their parents, they should be the cutest freaking thing in the world. It’s in the parent handbook. Didn’t they get it when they got that stupid ass free plastic diaper bag from the hospital?

Don’t tell your kids they are ugly. Don’t think your kids are ugly. And for the love of God, if you do think they are ugly (besides something being fundamentally wrong with you in the head) where do you think they got those damn ugly genes from?

Ugly Babies are A Myth

Look, I am living in the real world and I have perfect 20/20 vision so I do realize that some babies are cuter than others when they are born. Let’s be honest, most newborns look like one of two things; a little old man or a fuzzy ball sack. But we love them and to the parents who produced them, those babies are the most beautiful babies in the world.

By the way, how good do any of us look after taking a transatlantic flight or participating in fight club? Let’s be real, that’s pretty much what being born is like. How good did any of us look after giving birth and we were on the outside?

Ugly Babies

Precious

 There are No Ugly Babies

I don’t know who came up with such a ridiculous saying as “Ugly babies in the cradle, pretty at the table” but I bet they were ugly on the inside and certainly need to be flogged. Stop using it!

Remember, next time you are thinking about saying how ugly a baby is, those ugly babies are somebody’s everything that is beautiful and good in the world. If you are a parent who has called your baby ugly, please email me a photo because I need to see what level of ugly it takes to make a parent call their own baby ugly.

READ ALSO: Does Advanced Maternal Age Really Mean You’re Too Old to Give Birth?

Please stop telling your babies they are ugly. They will look human in a couple of months. Now put your standard issued Mommy thinks you’re perfect glasses back on NOW!

Have you ever thought your child was ugly? Come on, you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone. We’ve all thought there are ugly babies out there, but usually not our own. I mean come on, we’ve all got an ugly cry. They don’t call it that because it’s pretty. I bet even Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie look pretty gruesome when they ugly cry.

I’m a realist, I am not opposed to the fact that there are ugly babies in the world. I am however opposed to the fact that there are parents out there who are stupid enough to not only think it but to say it out loud, to their little ugly babies. Just remember, there are no ugly babies just adults who should have thought before they spoke.

Do you think there is such a thing as ugly babies?

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5 comments

jill simonian 2012/01/04 - 1:35 pm

TRUE TRUE TRUE! I happen to be one of those who laughs at all brand new babies (mine included… because she DID look like a buggy-eyed little old man with wrinkly old lady legs… and they were the best and cutest! ha! and I told her how cute she was as a newborn even though she couldn’t understand me!) AND I also happen to think that parents SHOULD tell their kids they are cute (not to the point to create an ego, but rather to provide security/love/support/etc). That’s what mommies are for, right?

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improperly forward 2012/01/05 - 12:08 am

I must be a terrible mother, because I knew when my son was a baby that he wasn’t the most adorable babe in the world. He was a cross between a spider monkey and Elvis. I have also seen my fair share of other people’s children who were less than adorable.
I, however, would NEVER tell my child or anyone else’s that they were ugly. Good God, what is wrong with people? And what does that saying even mean? Idiots.

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Bruna 2012/01/05 - 1:15 pm

Amen sister. Couldn’t imagine calling my kid ugly no matter what !

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TraceyLee 2019/10/14 - 12:59 am

“I’m a realist, I am not opposed to the fact that there are ugly babies in the world. I am however opposed to the fact that there are parents out there who are stupid enough to not only think it but to say it out loud…”. You just contradicted yourself here. Of course most people wouldn’t call their own child, ‘ugly’, because that’s extremely harmful and verbally abusive. But, when my niece, Alyssa was born, we absolutely adored her more than any of the rest of the kids. And she was an UGLY baby. It does no good to try and pretend, which we did for a while, until her dad brought it up one night. It made us all so much closer and made us love her even more, because we had let go of all pretenses and were genuine with our opinions. We would laugh and hold her (before she could understand) and talk about what an adorably ugly baby she was. I know for a fact that there is definitely such thing as a baby who is both physically ugly, and absolutely emotionally adored. As it turned out, she became the absolute beauty queen, compared to her sister who was a gorgeous baby. I hadn’t even heard that phrase before. I don’t love or appreciate prettier babies over those that aren’t blessed with good looks. I love them all the same, because love comes from a place of deep, emotional and spiritual connection, and not physicality.

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Deborah Cruz 2019/10/22 - 5:59 am

I agree 100%. Beauty is only skin deep and it truly is in the eye of the beholder. I think your family handled the situation perfectly for your family. I know many families who affectionately call their children things like “gortdito”, that’s just not me. I obviously know not all babies are beautiful but they are beautiful ( loved and adored) by their parents.

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