As an expectant mother the first time,
I remember sitting up late at night
reading review after review
about which baby gear was the best.
Which was the safest?
Which had the highest consumer ratings?
What were the crash test results?
All-terrain stroller wheels,
breathable bumper pads,
baby monitors that were basically security cameras.
It was all so daunting and I felt overwhelmed.
After I had made my decisions
and purchased the items,
I realized I had only scratched the surface of parenting decisions.
Cloth diapers,
bottle feeding,
potty training babies,
baby lead weaning,
formula, breast milk,
baby dedications,
first birthday parties
...
The pressure on moms is unbelievable.
It seems that no matter which corner you turn,
someone has an opinion on what
a mom should or shouldn't be doing.
The pressure and opinions are constant.
I am not the first blogger to
write about the urgency to stop
the parenting judgement.
This ridiculousness
between moms needs to end.
We are all,
doing our very best.
Whether we are waking up early to
get ready for work and drop kids off at day care.
Or we are waking up and staying in our pajamas for the morning.
We are all moms,
we are all tired,
we all struggle with some kind of guilt,
we are all trying.
We all wonder if we are
doing enough.
You are doing enough.
You are enough.
Did you read that?
You are enough.
I said,
YOU ARE ENOUGH.
We need to be the generation
that encourages each other.
That when we see a mom bottle feeding her baby,
we can approach her and say,
"You're such a great mom."
When we see a mom nursing in a public place,
we can approach her and say,
"You're such a great mom."
When we see that kid in the store
dressed as a princess or Batman,
we can say to their mom,
"You're such a great mom!"
When we see that mom with sheer exhaustion
as she is dealing with her toddler having a meltdown,
we can approach her and say,
"You're such a great mom."
When we see a mom reading ingredient labels for her kids,
we can approach her and say,
"You're such a great mom."
Do you see what I am getting at here?
Don't let the thought of judgement cross your mind.
Train it to stop.
Don't even think it.
Don't even think it.
Don't be that person.
Instead, turn it into a smile,
and if you are brave enough,
say something positive.
Having two kids,
I can't tell you the number of times
I have heard remarks about something I should be doing differently.
For the most part, I have learned to shrug it off,
even laugh at it.
One time in particular, I was dropping my daughter off
at an activity when one of the volunteers knelt down to see my baby.
She noticed my daughter wasn't wearing socks,
and had kicked the blanket that was over her up off her feet.
The woman said to my baby,
"If someone didn't put socks on my feet I'd kick them in the face."
Yes, actually.
I am not even kidding you.
People actually say
this kind of stuff to each other,
and think it is okay.
In that moment I laughed out loud.
I don't put socks on my baby.
I am good enough.
In April I met up with Modern Fort
to discuss her next months campaign; bringing to light amazing mothers.
Modern Fort is a cause-based social venture
that aims to help support local community causes
through their monthly campaigns by selling modern and on trend products.
During the month of May,
in collaboration with Kara Yoo,
an exclusive jewelry line (“The Unity Collection”)
was created to help support strong moms in our community.
Partial proceeds from this line, including other apparel on the site,
went towards executing random acts of kindness
towards mothers who have demonstrated great strength and beauty,
and above all else…
true selflessness and compassion.
May is an incredible month to acknowledge
women of great strength and beauty, and this past May was no exception.
Mothers.
Mothers of all kinds.
The unsung heroes. We love them. We appreciate them.
We respect what they do and what they stand for.
To be able to compromise and sacrifice their bodies for a child,
In celebration of Mother's Day,
Joanne of Modern Fort says, "it was an honour to recognize these specials souls."
Joanne of Modern Fort says, "it was an honour to recognize these specials souls."
Together, Modern Fort and Old Joy Gift Boxes put together
unique gifts featuring goods by local vendors for moms who won through nominations.
unique gifts featuring goods by local vendors for moms who won through nominations.
With each purchase of the exclusive jewelry line by Kara Yoo,
Modern Fort used it to give back to mothers of all kind.
Modern Fort hoped to lift a mother's emotional well being
by recognizing and identifying
by recognizing and identifying
their true strength and beauty.
Each month Modern Fort focuses on
one community cause.
You can choose to support the cause of the month
by purchasing goods on Modern Fort's online shop.
The vision that Modern Fort has is amazing.
For one entire month the focus is on one campaign.
Raising awareness and spreading the word.
Writing a check is easy. DOING something to make a change is more difficult.
I love how Modern Fort brings together the whole community
to work together in making a difference.
Each month Modern Fort focuses on
one community cause.
You can choose to support the cause of the month
by purchasing goods on Modern Fort's online shop.
The vision that Modern Fort has is amazing.
For one entire month the focus is on one campaign.
Raising awareness and spreading the word.
Writing a check is easy. DOING something to make a change is more difficult.
I love how Modern Fort brings together the whole community
to work together in making a difference.
“I alone cannot change the world,
but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
– Mother Teresa
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