Mom shaming

Let's be honest, we have all been guilty of mom shaming at one point or another. Some of us do it every day, some of us only once in a while, but we all do it.  I myself have been guilty of it.  It's just too easy to target another mom and criticize her to cover our own insecurities.  Look, we are all doing the best we can with the tools we have been given.

Maybe the mom whose child only seems to eat mac and cheese and hot dogs didn't have enough in the food budget for the week.  Or maybe her child refuses to eat anything else.

Maybe the mom whose child is always in ratty clothes doesn't have the budget to buy new clothes and has to rely on hand me downs to keep her child in clothes.

Maybe the mom whose child is making a scene in the store really needs those groceries so she can make a meal for her family before heading to work.

If we just assume, we will never know.  If you are a mom, you know how hard it is trying to take care of these unpredictable tiny humans without screwing them up too badly.  Each day is a new challenge and a new adventure.  If you are now or ever have been a working mom, you know how hard it is trying to keep your energy up to bring home the money to support your family and still manage not to let your time together suffer.  If you are a stay at home mom, you know the struggle to make ends meet on the budget and keep your household running smoothly.  No matter what, it's not easy being a mom.

Let's try to have some compassion for our mom friends.  Yes, they will make mistakes but I guarantee you will make just as many even if you don't admit it.  They will do things that you don't necessarily agree with, but not everyone shares the same parenting ideals.  The goal is to raise these tiny humans as best as we can.  So next time you see a mom that seems to be struggling, don't shame her, show her you support her.  The next time you see a mom with a screaming toddler in a public place, give her a smile, because let's face it, it's happened to you at least once.  Hold the door for the mom trying to push a stroller into a store.  Let the mom whose infant is screaming into the checkout line in front of you.  Rally together with your fellow moms. We are all doing the best we can with what we have.

Day 1

I finally was able to do it.  My last day at my job was yesterday. I am now officially a stay at home mom. I don't know how the finances are going to work out, but my girls need me here. I figured by now I would be ripping my hair out with my toddler, but she's being surprisingly easy on me today. I've been able to get a little bit of housework done and she even played by herself with no tv for a little over an hour. It was blissfully peaceful. 

Like many other moms I've spoken too, I'm guilty of using the tv as a crutch... Often. Maybe it's lazy parenting, but sometimes it's the only way I can get anything done.  My five month old sometimes won't calm down without watching "Moana".  I don't know what it is about that movie. Hopefully now that I'm home and won't be expending all my energy at work, I can limit tv time and get some creativity and learning going in my house. In fact, I'm about to hit pinterest and look up some activities now.