When I joined the ranks of Motherhood, I knew there were many roles associated with being a Mom – Caregiver, Teacher, Role Model, Nurse, Taxi Driver, Advisor…Competitor??  Yes that’s right.  I was surprised too.  Apparently, Motherhood is this huge competition between all Moms and there are many different aspects to it.  Whose child will crawl first, whose will say the first word, who is the best at coloring, and so on.  Personally, I think it’s all very silly and it’s one competition I choose not to participate in.

When my son was 5 weeks old, he slept through the night for the first time and has continued to do so since then.  When different people would ask me about how he was doing, I would obviously tell them about his new sleeping patterns.  Some people took it for what it was…what it was meant to be…news about my son.  Others (who happened to be Mothers) seemed shocked by the news…almost offended!!  This threw me for a loop so I spoke to my sister about it.  It was then that I learned about the “great competition”.  I just couldn’t believe it, nor understand it.  I mean, I did nothing to make my child sleep through the night.  I gave him a bottle like I normally do before his bedtime, we said our prayers, I layed him down and put on his music.  That’s it.  I never asked for credit for this achievement, nor did I brag about it.

Let go of the race my friends!  Take off those running shoes and toss them in the closet.  Motherhood is not a race for who can get their child to do whatever first.  It’s not a competition about who can raise their child better.  Motherhood is a precious gift that is so often taken for granted.  We should be spending our time playing with our children, taking them to playgrounds, preparing healthy lunches, reading them stories and giving them lots of hugs and kisses…not worrying about what high chair Mikey’s Mother uses.

So let’s work together, all you Mommies out there.  Do not judge and do not feel judged.  We do what we can for our children and as long as we do our best, that’s all anyone can ask.  Let’s not compete against one another, let’s help one another.  We all have something in common, we have children to raise and it’s nice to have help along the way.