If you’ve been a mom for more than five minutes, I guarantee you have felt judged by another mom for some parenting practice you chose. I know I have. Honestly, despite my best efforts, I know there have been times that I have questioned moms about some of their parenting choices, too. Why do we do this instead of supporting ALL moms? We certainly could all benefit from that, couldn’t we?
Since the birth of my first son, I have come to believe that parenting is more of an art than a science. It is more about discovering what works for each mom and child versus getting stuck in rigid thinking that leaves no room for different children’s varying needs and demands.
Over my last seven years as a mom, my goal of keeping my children healthy and happy has remained the same, as have some of my parenting practices. But some have also changed based on the different personalities of my sons. This has been a blessing in disguise because it has helped me support moms choosing another parenting method than myself.
We should all support one another as moms instead of judging one another in motherhood. We are all just trying to do our best to keep our children healthy and happy (as well as ourselves).
4 Tips for Supporting Moms
Here are 4 tips for how we all can support moms no matter their parenting style.
1. Her Body Is Different Than Yours
Sometimes, we forget that just because another mother does something like us, her body may have a different experience. I constantly hear mothers who chose natural childbirth promote why it is better. Their body recovered well from it, and it was a positive experience. My body was just the opposite. I had the hardest delivery when having my first son without pain medication and had easier and more joyful birth experiences when getting epidurals. I am the only one who knows my body’s experience and what is right for me, and I support women who choose and promote natural childbirth. But I know that I did not like it for my body, so we should remember that all of our bodies and experiences are different.
2. Her Baby Is Different Than Yours
Babies are NOT the same. We sometimes forget how different they are when we begin questioning another mom. “Why does she never sit that baby down?” Or “Why does she feed that baby all of the time?”
I have had a fussy baby who cried every time we sat down and never slept, and I have had a baby that was naturally content and slept so much I thought there was a sleep problem. My first baby made it very difficult to try and focus on anything more than getting him to nap (regardless of when or where that was!) My other son allowed me to focus on a schedule and was able to self-soothe on his own. His personality naturally made it easy to do this. Some babies do not. So, unless you are working with her baby, judge not.
3. Her Lifestyle Is Different Than Yours
Do you work and your friend stays at home? Do you stay at home and she works? Does she have family in town to help? Does she have a supportive partner? So many factors affect the decisions that go into parenting. It’s easy for us to look at another woman and assume we understand her lifestyle, but unless you are her, you probably do not.
She may seem like she has a supportive partner when, in fact, her partner may refuse to help her with the baby in the middle of the night. So, she chooses to switch from breastfeeding to formula to get him to help. Or a mom may work all day and prefer her kids to sleep in bed with her because that is the only time she sees them. You may not understand why she is okay with this, but that’s okay because you don’t have to. It works for her. And that is what matters!
4. Her Personality Is Different Than Yours
What makes one mom stressed may make another mom happy. Some moms are more stressed from knowing they are not getting sleep and can tolerate their child crying themselves to sleep each night. Other moms are more stressed from hearing the crying and would rather just get up, soothe the baby, and sacrifice sleep. Some moms are more worried about laundry than saving money on cloth diapers, and some are far more worried about keeping to their budget than a few extra loads of laundry. Do you see a theme here? We are all different! And that’s wonderful.
So, the next time you want to question another mother for her parenting choice, take a moment to get to know her instead. To each her own! See what you might learn from her. You might be surprised. But don’t be surprised when she finds herself learning something from YOU. Whether they are the same or different from you in their choices, supporting moms is a choice we can all make together.
Cheers to Ending Mommy Wars and Switching to Support!
