As a culture, more than ever before it is easy to compare yourself with other Moms.
Her kids are always so well-behaved.
She always looks so put together.
I wish I could bake like her.
And so on.
It is downright unhealthy and will always leave you feeling insecure, insufficient, and like a failure. This is NO WAY to live.
You can’t take Suzy’s organic cooking, Sarah’s Pure Barre work-outs, Amanda’s thriving business, Rachel’s clean house, and Katy’s Pinterest Birthday parties and expect to perform at perfection in each of these categories. The person you aspire to be in each area is DIFFERENT which means… NO ONE is doing it all! This is good news because it gives US permission to be average (or even below average) on some things. I am NOT a cook. I am NOT called to homeschool. I LOATHE working out. But I LOVE my friends who are good at those things. Instead of feeling “less than” or bitter, I am happy for them and I no longer hold myself to that standard. Instead, I focus on the areas that I am naturally gifted and (gasp) actually ENJOY!?!?? I don’t have enough time or energy to waste forcing myself to try and be excellent at something I am flat out not interested in. Like gardening. No thanks! Instead I will continue to write, do fun crafts with my kids, decorate my house really cute, and throw killer birthday parties. Those are things I ENJOY and I am already naturally gifted at!
So I want to challenge you this year to STAY IN YOUR LANE. Be okay with WHO YOU ARE. Take personal inventory. What are you good at? What do you ENJOY? Stop trying to force yourself to be more like her… and become more YOURSELF. You are unique and talented and gifted. How boring would this planet be if we were all cookie cutter Moms?
So next time your neighbor brings you homemade lasagna, instead of feeling obligated to whip something up from scratch to return the favor when you know you hate cooking…. Just smile. Say THANK YOU. Write her a sweet note and move on! She may show her friendship through baking and you may return the favor by watching her kids for 2 hours during a doctor’s appointment the following week. One is not better than the other. They are just different.
Let’s stop the Mommy Wars and be Mommy Cheerleaders! Cheer each other on in their unique talents and focus on becoming unashamedly ourselves. YOU BE YOU.
If you can learn to STAY IN YOUR LANE, I promise you will be happier and your people will too!
Does this blog have an editor?
It does! Is there something we missed that we should correct?
Can I just say that this is the BEST advice you’ll ever hear mommas? I am 53 years old, married for 36 years, home educated and raised 3 wonderful, successful humans and THIS is exactly what you need to hear. Please don’t compare yourself to anyone else, your kids to anyone else’s kids, or most importantly – your husband to any other man. Be your best self, let your kids be who they were created to be, and love your man with everything you got. The world will see your people through your eyes. 🙂 Create the good stuff ladies!