I Forgive You, Holier-Than-Thou Mother in the Glass House

You. Yes, you. The holier-than-thou, mom-of-the-year runner up. I forgive you for throwing stones at me from your glass house.

I don’t pretend to be perfect. Ever. I’m actually pretty blunt about my follies as a parent, wife, and housekeeper. There are things that work for me and mine which you may never consider to try for you and yours… and that’s okay. It’s more than ok. It’s perfect, because it’s natural.

I don’t know what you’re trying to compensate for by attacking my choices. Sneering at the way I spend my free time. Pitying my children because what you judge of me via social media.

You assume that because I blog, and use several social media outlets simultaneously, that my children are neglected or less loved than yours.

What you may not see between my internet activities is…

the food made from scratch,
the kisses on every toe during diaper changes,
the time I take to fix my daughter’s hair in that day’s requested style,
the stuffing of toys in shirts so we’re all wearing ‘babies,’
the load of cloth diapers just put in the wash,
the spills that are cleaned,
the scrapes that are bandaged,
the fights that are separated,
the little bodies crammed onto my every shrinking lap to watch silly things on the computer,
the nails that are painted,
the backs that are rubbed,
the books that are read,
the airplanes that are watched,
the bugs that are discovered,
the dishes that are washed and promptly dirtied again with more food made from scratch,
the flowers that are smelled,
the hiding places that are discovered,
the new words that are learned,
the songs that are sung,
the tantrums,
the budget balancing,
the puppet shows,
the stuff purging,
the failed attempts at taking a shower because I choose to spend time with my kids,
the walking six blocks to pick up my daughter from school,
the visits with our neighbors,
the piles of laundry folded,
the dance parties,
the fashion shows,
the school functions,
the play dates,
the discussions I’ve had with my husband about choosing a day of the week for me to focus on the things that I enjoy doing besides mothering.

And, because there’s no way you could have known any of that unless I posted about it on social media, I forgive you.

I hope that next time, instead of attempting to shame me for the outlets I choose to use on my me day, and in my frequent and short spare moments, you choose to be kind, and applaud me for having a passion other than my children.

There is no parenting contest. If there was, I can assure you, there would be no winner.

Jessica is the Domestic Pirate, Renn Faire Privateer, gone Mom. When she’s not blogging about anything and everything, she’s taking care of the Captain and their 4 Cabin Kids. She’s obsessed with Pirates and the internet, and is convinced that the dough is always better than the cookie. Aside from her blog, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.