Judging Another Mother

I am not sure when, how or why it started. People, women in general, seem to have a natural instinct to judge one another on a regular basis. My theory is that it all began with Eve. Some woman probably said " I would like to be in the garden right now, but that damn Eve had to listen to that stupid snake!" Another woman agreed, and so began a long history of gossip. Shouldn't we know better by the time we have kids? I mean honestly, haven't we all been dealing with this since elementary school?

Am I guilty of this nasty attribute? Absolutely! I watch, and criticize how other women parent all of the time. One of my biggest pet peeves is when mothers put their children on leashes, but maybe instead of giving her a nasty look, I could consider something. Maybe she has a horrible temper, and by putting her child on that silly thing, she is more likely to stay calm and relaxed. Putting yourself in someones shoes is a very difficult task to say the least, but it would feel so much better than being angry or bitter.

I believe that mothers have to learn to be honest with themselves and with other moms. Why do we try so hard to look like we are doing everything right. Its not possible, or realistic and we all know that motherhood is no walk in the park. One of my favorite movie scenes is from "Sex and the City 2", when Charlotte finally admits that being a mother is challenging and far from what she imagined it would be. That scene is so real, and while watching it at the theatre, several women laugh right out loud. I feel like if we all admitted to ourselves that not every moment of motherhood will leave you feeling accomplished and fulfilled, we could connect with one another and find more common ground.

Haven't you ever gone to a grocery store alone, and heard another mother struggling with her child? Not that I necessarily take joy in this, but it always makes me smile a little. I try to give her a look like "I feel ya sister!" I know how awful it can be to try and run an errand with an upset kid.

We are constantly comparing our children to others, picking apart another woman's techniques, and essentially pretending like those bad days don't exist for everyone. Most mothers are doing the best that they can, and trust me we could all use a little more support and encouragement.