Give ‘Em A Break

Why are moms so competitive? Why do we compare ourselves so much to each other? Is there anything about doing this that consistently makes us feel good? Probably not. More than likely when you compare your situation to another, sometimes you come out ahead and sometimes you don’t. It’s a constant roller coaster ride.

So I ask again – why do we do this? Why do we torture ourselves? I am guilty of this. Those that know me – even casually – know that I am a competitive person. And most of the time I embrace that trait as it’s a core part of who I am. However, I’ve become very conscious of this as a mother and working to let go of this part of my personality when it comes to parenting. I know it’s not healthy and it will only make me miserable. Do I want my kids to succeed – yes. Does comparing our parenting style, their clothing, potty training schedule, etc. have anything to do with that – no.

As much as I try…it still happens. This weekend, I felt the creep of competition while having a conversation with my sister-in-law about shoe sizes – yes, shoe sizes! That little voice in my head “Why are his feet bigger than SEB’s?” Really? Like any of this can be controlled or is important to the development of our children! Ugh.

Now, I quickly put the thought away because I didn’t have to dig real deep to know it didn’t matter. But I had to laugh at myself and wanted to share the experience with you.

So – let’s give each other a break. As moms, we are all doing the best we can at every given moment. Sometimes we are at the top of our game and sometimes not. Do we make mistakes, yes. But we’re trying. So let’s forgive ourselves – and each other. Stop this madness of comparing ourselves to other moms – even if it makes us feel better in the moment. Because we all know at some point we won’t measure up.