PARENTING. No SH#$!!

I am a parent.  Stupid things happen to me.  It is a fact of life.  My sons aren't perfect.  They are kids.  They are loud, they get dirty, they fight, forget to do their chores and frequently give me the dreaded eye roll.  Sometimes I have to discipline them too (HEAVEN FORBID)!  Why?  Because I am a PARENT!

This is the life I chose.  The other part of parenting is taking an hour off to be with other parents so you can laugh at all the dumb things we do parenting.  It's called a reality check and it's good for morale.  Nothing makes a lame mom morning better than realizing that as a mom we are not the only ones that have to contribute to future therapy for the kids.  It's called being supportive.

My new set of mom friends ARE NOT SUPPORTIVE.

So, apparently in my new neighborhood, all the families are perfect.  I was asked over for a morning chat and cookies up with another stay at home Mrs. Mom.  The house was a disaster, her son was asleep, and she looked like she had the worst morning of her life.  All points mentioned were perfectly fine with me, but Mrs. Mom put on a pretty good front.  The morning chat was mild too.  She has such wonderful kids.  All of them.  And they get along so well.  I don't know what gave her away with the fib.  Maybe it was the nervous twitch under her eye, but after an uncomfortable break in the conversation, it came out that Mrs. Mom yelled at her son (GASP!  Seriously?).  She felt horrible (we all do) and then proceeded to beg my forgiveness that her house was a mess.

I laughed (very nonjudgmental because I have had days like that).

I could not help it.  First off.  All moms yell at some point and even more frequently have messy houses (exponentially messy depending on family size).  It's called, The Facts Of Life.  To make her feel better I shared that my oldest son had laid on the attitude so thick before school I was still cutting through it.  Mrs. Mom was not amused.  Why not?  I am still baffled.  Usually moms find some comfort knowing that they are not alone.  Furthermore, no child is perfect, so when she tries to hide the burned cookie sheets and the bowl of watery dough her son destroyed for her and tried to make artwork on the floor with, I am thinking she is nuts.  Be proud Mrs. Mom!

Being a parent is tough.  It takes monumental amounts of patience, ingenuity, creativity, skill and fortitude.  Parenting never runs smoothly all the time, but when it does, it's like a glimpse of heaven on earth. 

Had a bad day?  Own it, baby!  You're a PARENT!