It’s time we lay it all out there. Most of us moms are doing the best that we can raising our children. We feed them, clothe them, help them with homework, and shape their behavior the best we know how. Each one of us is “Super Mom” to our children. I have decided that I am a “Perfect Mom”. Perfect for my children…………that is. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t have a clue how to raise your children. I am, however an expert on my children. No one loves my children like I do. The same can be said for you and your children. We defend our young like no other.
Why am I talking about this? Afterall, this is not a parenting blog. This is a food blog, right? I wrote about an incident with my daughter’s cheer squad that really shook me up. You can get caught up here if you missed it. I keep thinking about what happened. I asked you to help me out (You are cheaper than counseling.) and boy, did you respond. This post elicited the most thoughtful comments that I have ever read.
Some of you took GF-Mom’s side and some of you took the coaches’ side. Many of you were in the middle. My take-away from all of this is that it is a shame that feelings had to be hurt. There should have been a way that all of us moms could have worked out this situation without hurt feelings.
Living in the food blogging world, I see lots of comments about how this mom or that mom is feeding her kid wrong. She should be reducing sugar, cutting fat, more grains, less grains……….you get the picture. My favorite is that every time somebody posts a recipe with peanut butter, someone is hurt because their kid is allergic to peanut butter. Can we all just agree that peanut butter means peanut butter or sun butter, or your preferred nut butter? I’ve even had some hurtful comments on my Facebook page and I’m as easy going as they come.
My wish for this holiday season is that we remember three simple things.
- We Moms all do the best that we can.
- We Moms don’t know your child like you do. That doesn’t mean that we don’t care about your child.
- There will be differences of opinion about food due to preference or needs. Don’t let that get in the way of friendships.
Have you had any experiences where you were surprised by how another mom reacted to what you were feeding your child? How about the other side………..have you ever been able to help a mom out of a tough food situation? Why do you think people are so sensitive about their food decisions?
I can’t wait to hear from you. Leave me a comment here and I invite you to join the fun on our various social media. Just join us by using the various buttons at the top of the page. Lots more recipes, tips and fun to be had by all! If you are new to the blog……..I invite you to check out our Weekly Challenges. This is a great systematic way to to eat more of a Real Food diet and eliminate processed food. This is the approach my family took to overhauling our diet. Remember……small changes can create dramatic changes to your overall health. Good luck!
Honestly, I don't understand why any mom needs to react to what someone else is feeding their kids. I might not agree with letting a kid dictate they will only eat chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese, but one, that mom may be trying to get her kids to eat other stuff and is at wits end, and two, it's not my kid. It's not my place to say something to her. My kids don't eat perfect all the time, but they're pretty good. But one time someone made a comment about how I let my kid have a candy bar at night and I have never forgotten it.
Mothers are very defensive when it comes to food. I don't understand why when I say my kid eats this or that people feel they have to defend their food choices. The way I raise my kids is up to me. I'm not telling you how to raise your kids. I can imagine how hurtful the candy bar comment must have been. You really do feed your kids well and then to be called out for a once-in-a-while treat………..wow! I wouldn't forget that either.
Great post! Moms are so competitive and can be so judgmental, too! As a mom myself, it is hard to not judge, but like you said, we are all doing the best that we can, and we need to respect each and everyone's parenting/mommy styles as to how they are raising their children. My son doesn't eat perfect all the time, but I aim for eating healthy the majority of the time with a few indulgences here and there. It's all about what works for you and your family!
-Melissa @ Fit 'n' Well Mommy
You are right Melissa. It is hard not to judge. I really think we are built that way. Respect is a great word. We really do need to respect each other's parenting decisions even if we don't agree with them.
Great post, it's always so sad to hear about mothers being against eachother, it's fantastic to be friends and bond over the fact you have brought a child into the world!
We mothers have so much in common. I love it when we get to together and learn from each other like we do in the blogging community. I agree it is sad when we decide to not get along with each other.