What Moms Mean When They Say "I made that kid"

In the artistic world, Mozart may be known for his music,

Van Gogh for his paintings,

Oscar de la Renta for his fashion designs…

But in the social world, moms’ works of art are THEIR KIDS!

Let’s be honest…

We made these kids and invested so much time, energy and power to guide these little ones to be the best they could, that we can’t help but admire what we have ‘crafted’.

Sometimes, the smallest things get our admiration, like these little fingers that are now capable of grabbing a piece of cheese and putting it into their mouth, or these little feet that can now walk and move around the house, alone!

Then there are these overwhelming moments when kids unexpectedly display outstanding performances that we like to label as talent…!

For mothers, there is no bigger joy in life than observing these works of art take shape as they grow-up. Every time I meet someone since my daughter was born, even if it was just for a few seconds, I secretly hope that they will ask about her so I can go on-and-on about her latest accomplishments.

Well, the truth is, I enjoy it so much that…. I strongly believe there is NO SHAME in gossiping and bragging about your kids (it’s a delicious guilt-free pleasure).

And I know for a fact, that I’m not the only mom who likes to do to that.

The other day, one of my friends told me that her son was her ‘best project ever’! She created this little person and crafted him to be the way he was, so it was absolutely natural for her to feel proud of seeing how smart, independent and perfect he was, right?

So, at that moment, after listening to her little speech, I finally understood the famous motto that we hear from all moms: I made that kid.

This is what it means:

I brag about my kids so you can share my pride, acknowledge it and nurture it. So now, I expect you to listen to my full story and tell me how special my kid is!

So there it is, the secret is out now…

Well, the truth is, an acknowledgement from another mom is the best certification to successful parenting. Who wouldn’t want that?

But here is the problem: when it comes to art, the definition of beauty is subjective. On many occasions your definition of a beautifully crafted work of art might not match with one of your friends, who will always have better re-com-men-da-tions.

So what happens in these situations?

Well, life is not that complicated, you know… In these situations, you just need to find new friends!

It’s a lot easier than admitting that your art is not appreciated by everyone else, or that (even worse) you have not met the highest standards of artistic perfection.

Believe me, there is nothing wrong in doing that! As a matter of fact, that approach has a name…

It is called moral relativism.

I like to think of it as natural selection, something that wolves understand well: they are very protective of their packs and are selective in keeping those who are capable of understanding and respecting its golden rules. As the act of creating is defined by the act of choosing, we have the power to choose how to best educate our kids and who to be friends with. It’s like a vicious cycle – one doesn’t come without the other.

So this makes me wonder: should we aim for the same natural selection in order to defend our artistic preferences?

Maybe we should…

Until our kids are old enough to leave the pack that we have created in order to pursue a life of their own.

And at that very moment we will look at our kids…

And there they will be…

Perfect works of art.

Whatever that means…

Ghada Karam is a first-time mom who lives in Bangkok with her husband and her two-year old daughter. She enjoys gossiping about being a mom and about her daughter’s tantrums. She thinks tantrums are great. They spice-up her day. You can follow her latest news on Confidential Mommy Talks, or socialize with her on Facebook ,Twitter and Instagram.