PeasandHappiness

If you ever need a mom to keep it real for you, you know where to find me.
On a side note, I sure wish parents would stop labeling their kids as my TAG kid, or my ADHD kid. Nothing like a label to put your kid into a track that is really hard to break.

there seems to be a certain amount of maturity that comes at some point (some sooner or much later than others) when you kind of have this “aha” moment and you finally stop comparing yourself to others.
i think you’re there.
when we are more real with one another we can help each other stop comparing and one-upping.
we are all proud mama’s and want everyone to know how awesome and talented and cute our kids are but sharing real moments can help us all feel connected and renewed!
we should want to lift each other up and give words of encouragement and not tear each other down.
the media tears women down so much from an early age that it’s really hard to get to that point when we feel secure, happy and at peace with who we really are. Of course that comes after years of catty, insecure behavior and not loving how we look and trying to figure out who we are not what media tells us to be.
i’ve been trying really hard not to judge people lately because I don’t know what they’ve been through. Women of the world let’s lift each other up and change the world for our daughters!!
ok, I’m done.

Lol Kara. One of my biggest parenting fears is having some sort of confrontation down the road with those parents who, in your words, think their kids poop roses. Am so thankful for fellow “keeping it real” kinda mamas like you! Would love to get Judah and Miriam together one of these days by the way

What a good post! I have to say that I am so grateful that I am at a point where I am rarely hard on myself because of comparing myself to others. I do get a little annoyed by the people who only paint rosy pictures of their lives, parents or not. And I love to hear other people’s REAL moments. But for the most part, I try to focus on myself and my family and how I feel about it. That being said, I have found a little dose of “Mommy Guilt” to be useful. I want to be continually improving and just writing off my shortcomings as “the way I am” isn’t good enough. I am in no way a perfectionist (and again, I am thankful for that), but I think that a little guilt can help us improve. For example, I should feel a little guilty when I lose my temper and yell at the kids. That guilt helps me strive to do better. Does that make sense?
I just wanted to make a little comment about labeling kids: Though I think it can be dangerous, I also think it can be necessary. Coming from a background of child development education, I know that if I’m working with a kid it can be very helpful for me to know if there is a “label,” even in every day situations. I had a mom call me to RSVP for Thatcher’s 5th birthday party last year and I was asking her if there was anything I should know about her son in relation to him coming to the party. She hesitated, but said he has mild autism. She didn’t want me to judge him (or her). Having been an aid in the past, that was great for me to know. It helped me think outside the box and consider anything that might make the party more enjoyable for him. Someone once told me that kids get labeled, so it is better that the label be accurate. A kid might get labeled as “bad” or “difficult” when in reality that label should be something like ADHD or Asperger’s. In that case, I think it’s positive to label. BUT I think as parents, we should treat our children as unique individuals and the labels should have little value in our relationship with them. So I think it is kind of funny for a parent to be using labels to justify their child’s behavior. I think I would throw up a little in my mouth as well! And I laughed at Karli’s comment about being a perfect parent before having children! So true for me!

I love reading your blog! I am so thankful for honest mamas. Motherhood is hard enough!! Regarding your Simplicity Parenting post- I would love to hear more about you getting rid of your “stuff”. I really want to go this direction but am overwhelmed by the task and can’t figure out where to start! I think I need to meet Audra