As I think about the mothers in my life, I am amazed at how different each one of us parents our children, yet we have a similar goal in common: to love our children deeply and raise them with conviction and integrity.
We are mothers.
Some breastfeed; some bottle feed.
We are mothers.
Some co-sleep; some put their baby in a crib right away.
We are mothers.
Some vaccinate; some seek alternative methods.
We are mothers.
Some use cloth diapers; some use disposable diapers.
We are mothers.
Some only buy organic food; some find a balance that works best for their family’s budget
We are mothers.
Some rock their children to sleep; some use the “cry it out” method.
We are mothers.
Some allow their children to watch TV shows; some are opposed to screen time.
We are mothers.
And the list could go on. But as I think about the different philosophies of parenting that each of us stand by and how easy it is to start judging because someone believes differently (definitely speaking to myself here!), I wonder why do we allow ourselves to get caught up in a Facebook war over things like this?
I don’t know about you, but I have found that since being a mother, it is so easy to let subtle insecurities sneak in. And I have to take a step back and remind myself that just because some of my friends do parenting differently, doesn’t mean that their way is right and mine is wrong. Or vice versa.
All that matters is that each of us are giving this motherhood thing one thousand percent each day. We are loving our children deeply (even on those really difficult days). We are instilling in them values that will help shape them into strong and confident adults. Because in the end, it isn’t going to matter if your baby was breastfed or bottle fed, cried it out in the crib or had to be rocked to sleep. What will matter is how you made them feel at the end of each day. Loved, secure, confident.
Motherhood is hard. So instead of the comparing game, let’s embrace each other. Let’s encourage each other. Let’s walk alongside each other. Why?
Because we are mothers.
