The Mommy Wars

Nether of us looked decent, I looked like a raccoon with the circles under my eyes with the sad attempt at yoga pants and half done bun. I don’t even recall if I had two matching shoes on. My son was flushed and he was on my hip.  As the checker was ringing me up she made a comment like; “Wow someone is not feeling well.” I just smiled and watched her bag my three items; Popsicles, Gatorade and Motrin

The the lady behind me is just staring at me. Yes partly because in my sleep deprived way I was using my library card to pay for my groceries. It took me a minute to figure it out. My son was looking ever so pathetic laying on my shoulder as his legs dangled down.  She mumbled something like, “How could a mother bring her kid out while he’s so sick. Not only is that not good but she can contaminate others. So thoughtless, careless and rude.”

Hmm, I wish I would be more thoughtful. I mean I could have left my kid at home alone or in the car….NOT! Totally AGAINST THE LAW! Even if it wasn’t I wouldn’t be leaving my child.

I wish I was more thoughtful, but you see I was. I wanted to defend my mother or the year title. Let her know how it’s just me and I had to go to the store and I am a good mom and blah blah blah. Instead I was thoughtful, thoughtful of her feelings and I just prayed for her in my head. I didn’t want to go to war with my mouth, vomit all over her with my nasty words and really annihilate her with my tongue, for what? For humiliating, belittling, and making me feel worse than I was?  Thus I would be no better than She and the war would continue. I just prayed for her that whatever was going on in her life she would be comforted and not feel the need to put others down in their most vulnerable state.

Whatever it was she felt the need to try to make me feel worse about myself than I already did physically and mentally. But she didn’t, she taught me a lesson. How to be kinder and not to be so quick to judge other mommies either. Which I don’t typically do but I am not a saint and I am guilty of this at times, not all the time but every once in a blue moon.

We are all doing the best we can with what we have. Moms why can’t we band together? Why the unnecessary belittling? Could you imagine how powerful we could be if we stopped the mommy wars?

Today was a horrid day. In between blog posts, I messed up on a deadline, I cleaned up vomit, I changed sheets, catered to a sickie and I’m walking around like my own walking dead. Would one complement really be that difficult to muster out? It’s so much easier to be kind than mean-spirited.