Dealing with unsolicited parenting advice — whether it’s from an aggressive stranger or overbearing mother-in-law — can be a tough task. While some advice is welcome, other advice can seem to demean parents.

So how should parents respond when they receive unwanted parenting advice from strangers or family and friends?

We turned to the Potomac Patch Moms Council to get their opinions and experiences. But they shouldn’t be the only ones who have a say in the issue — share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Allison Olmsted: With three kids we don't get too much of that unsolicited advice anymore. I think first time moms are the biggest recipients of that kind of advice. Thankfully I haven't gotten too much over the years. But when I have I've usually just nodded my head and gone on my way, pretty much unfazed...unless of course it seems like good, helpful advice...then I give it a try.

Erin Mantz: My approach is to just say, "Thanks" or "Mmmhmm" and then either dismiss the advice and do what I believe in or take the advice if I think it's good and has offered me a different perspective!

Suzanne Weiss: Only those of us that never offer advice are in a position to simply reject all input! Sometimes, even the unsolicited advice may offer a different perspective that could make a difference. Listening, finding out new information, is always a positive in life. In any case, you can always smile politely and still do things your own way. Unfortunately, I may have mastered that so well that my kids, now taller than me, sometimes do the same to our suggestions!