Being a Mom

This will be a very obvious "duh," but being a mom is hard work. For the other mom's reading, I'm sure you know what I mean in a way that non-moms won't fully understand unless they become moms.



To top it all off, I find it hard not to compare my mom "skills" to other moms around me.

Mom A puts her baby only in cloth diapers. . . .we use disposables, does that make me less environmentally savvy and am I doing my child a disfavor?

Mom B stays home with her kids. . .I work, so does that mean I'm neglecting my kids somehow?

Mom C's kids are always so clean with cute, matching little outfits and bows. . .it doesn't matter what I do or how many times we bathe them, my kids tend to get DIRTY. Why aren't we more "put together"? and are my kids too rambunctious?

You know what I'm talking about?? or are all of you Mom A, B, & C and I'm alone on this one?? :)

Perhaps I wouldn't be so hard on myself if I wasn't so aware of the fact that I'm going to mess up.

Something.
At some point.

And I don't believe that any Mom knowingly does the thing that makes them mess up.
So I'm on the watch.
Trying to take cues from other moms.

Probably doesn't help my inner-struggle that I read a lot of blogs written by stay-at-home or work-from-home moms. They're way of doing things has become my ideal.

Funny story.
(OK, not really a story, but anyway. . .)

I found out not too long ago that my Grandpa, bless him, was concerned about what kind of mom I'd be when I was expecting my first child. Luckily, (for me and my child!!) he was very pleasantly surprised to see how well I did with her when we went home for a visit one year.

I'm not mad or hurt by his initial concerns. In fact, I understand where he's coming from.
I'm not a traditional mom. I'm sure in his way of thinking, a traditional mom is the only good way to be and anything else has it's cause for concern.

While we were on vacation at my Aunt & Uncle's lake house, before they left, my Aunt put her hands on my shoulders, looked me in the eye and told me that I was doing a good job.

Maybe it's silly, but I almost cried.

I think we all want to hear that.
That someone can look at our kids, see that they are well behaved, happy and secure and know that in spite of our shortcomings, we're doing something right.

So Bobbi, if you read this, which I'm sure at some point you will, Thanks. You're words of encouragement mean so much!

And everyone else, You're doing a good job, too.



xoxo—Lori