Don't Judge the Mamas!

We moms need to be pretty tough. Not only do we get to deal with all sorts of bodily fluids on limited hours of sleep and a wardrobe that hasn't been updated since our college years, we also get to shoulder innocent little comments like "Mama! What are all those lines on your tummy?" and "Mama, why do your arms wiggle when you wave?" (A good friend once told me: Never rely on your children for your self-esteem! Boy was she right!)

In light of this, you'd think we moms would all stick together right? Form an impenetrable barrier and defend each other in the battle. Only, that's not how it happens.

Just today I came across a comment where a woman was complaining about another mom "letting" her kids misbehave while she stood idly by. But what if the "complainer" didn't know that the "complainee" is operating on 4 hours of sleep due to a sick baby and this is the 20th time that little Junior has tested her patience in just the last 2 hours? I've heard another mom complain about watching a mother talk on the phone over lunch with her daughter and be ridiculed for "not having the decency to pay attention to the daughter in front of you." But what if the mom on the phone has a husband who works out of town and this is the first time they've been able to connect in 3 days?

I guess my point is, is that we moms make it way harder on each other than we should. We are all in some sort of race to be Super Mom that it often makes us tired, irritable and, well, LESS of a mom than we could be if we just let go of some of the pressure. We moms need to shore each other up, not tear each other down.

So, next time you see a mom like me at the grocery store, with a whining 2 year old pulling on his mama's pant leg, a bouncy 4 year old stashing juice boxes into the cart by the boat load, and 2 girls meandering 4 feet behind the chaos, keep in mind that though we might really, REALLY want our kids to line up behind us like obedient little soldiers, the scene before you might be as good as you're going to get on that given day. And that's OK.  :)