Weekly Challenge #7 - Become a Drop Out

The Mommy Race Myth

I have decided that I am dropping out of the Mommy Race. I have high expectations of myself, and have recently come to realize that many of them are unrealistic. I put all this pressure on myself everyday, and then when I have fallen short, I feel like a complete failure. My family, who at the end of the day are who really matters, does not put any pressure on me, but I still buckle under the weight of it all so often. I had an epiphany yesterday. If you have never had one, I suggest you experience at least one in your lifetime. Thanks to some wise people, I realized that I did not sign up for the Mommy Race, and I can drop out at anytime.
I am a mom. I am not perfect. Some days my house is not as clean as yours, but that is okay. Some days you will be earlier to church than me and fully clothed, but I will still worship. Most days, you will not be obsessing near as much as me over the unimportant things (like my weight), but I will continue to try to quit dwelling on these things. There are days that I will fall time and time again, and I won't care if you see me. Thankfully, there is always someone to help me up. I will not compete with you or my mom any longer. I will run without you, and only measure myself to God's word. I will answer only to God and my family. I will quit examining anyone and everyone else, and care more about what I think instead of what I think you think. I quit. I quit. I quit. If your blog is cuter than mine with more pictures, bells, and whistles, I will admire your work, but not put myself down for being a slacker any more. So when you no longer see me in the Mommy Race, just know I'll be playing hide and seek with my son in the laundry confetti around my house. When a wise friend tells me to "share my load with others," I will no longer think about the loads of laundry that need to be folded. I imagine we will be building many forts with those piles in the future anyway.

I truly believe that we moms are putting too much pressure on ourselves to be Super Moms. My mom was and is a Super Mom, and now she is paying for it with her declining health. She is the example of the woman I want to be, but not at the same expense. She is an extraordinary woman, and if you know her, I know you agree. So I have decided to focus on being Rowe's Mom and not worry so much about being Super Mom. All our children need different kinds of moms, so we should not all act, think, or look the same.

Any of you mom's out there that want to join me on this drop out, please let me know. Blog about it, in order to encourage all the other striving Super Moms to chill and enjoy the thrill of motherhood.