Are You A Momma Like Me?

Motherhood is a lot like the high school cafeteria.  We've sectioned ourselves off by our images and our preferences.  Working moms here.  Stay-at-home-moms over there.  Nursing moms, go sit in the corner under a cover.  Formula users, you can heat your bottles over there.  Homeschooling moms, well, you don't want your kids here anyway.  We compare, we gossip, we judge, we point fingers.  And, just like in high school, it's really all a cover for our own insecurities.  Are we doing enough?  Are we good enough?  Is this all there is?

I started this blog with the name Mamas Like Me.  I wish I could say that I really thought about the name or who my audience would be....I didn't.  Now I do.  As my children have grown, I am also growing.  I no longer judge the woman bribing her kids with candy in the grocery store, I've been there.  I don't question the working mom who knows she needs to get out of the house or knows that her family needs her income, I've been there, too.  I've learned a lot about the Mamas Like Me: 

• Have you struggled to find a balance between home and job as a working mom? - You are a Mama like me
• Have you spent your days bouncing a colicky baby only to wish that you could go to work to get a break? - You are a Mama like me
• Have you nursed a baby to a year or beyond? - You are a Mama like me.
• Have you given your child a bottle from almost the time they came home from the hospital? - You are a Mama like me
• Is your toddler still sporting a pacifier? - You are a Mama like me
• Did you wean your baby off his binky so he could learn to self-soothe? - You are a Mama like me
• Do you love the cuteness and savings of cloth diapers?- You are a Mama like me
• Do you use disposable diapers? - You are a Mama like me
• Does your baby sleep cuddled next to you? - You are a Mama like me
• Does your baby snore contentedly in his crib? - You are a Mama like me
• Have you strolled through the Farmer's Market excited about all the organic fresh veggies you can prepare for you family? - You are a Mama like me
• Have you had nights where most of your dinner came from a box? - You are a Mama like me
• Have you struggled with your post-baby body and counted calories hoping to lose those extra pounds? - You are a Mama like me
• Do you see each of your babies as a blessing straight from God? - You are a Mama like me
• Do you sometimes want to throw your 2-year-old out the window? - You are a Mama like me
• Does your house look like an atomic bomb went off every day before nap time? - You are a Mama like me
• Do you find yourself singing Yo Gabba Gabba songs and the clean-up song several times a day? - You are a Mama like me
• Do you love your minivan more than you ever thought possible? - You are a Mama like me
• Does your idea of a "wild night" include Disney movies and flavored popcorn? - You are a Mama like me
• Do you wish you could attend more school functions and volunteer more in your child's school? - You are a Mama like me
• Do you want more children? - You are a Mama like me
• Are you content with the size of your family the way it is? - You are a Mama like me
• Do you wish your snacks/meals were more creative? - You are a Mama like me
• Do you feel tired, stressed, and frustrated at times? - You are a Mama like me
• Do you stare at your sleeping children and think there's no greater gift than this? - You are a Mama like me

Motherhood is hard.  It's sleepless nights and early mornings.   It's cleaning up poop, and pee, and spit up.  It's scrubbing carpets and folding laundry.  It's kissing boo-boos and refereeing arguments.  It's cooking meals and packing lunches.  It's teaching, training, and loving.  It's baths and bedtime stories.  It's tedious routines and new surprises every day.  It is the hardest job any woman has ever had, and it's time that we start saying it's okay...

It's okay if you're a Mama Like Me...

And it's okay if you're not...

You're a great mother, doing the best you can...just like me.

Happy Mother's Day, Mama!  You're doing a great job!