When Other Moms Intimidate Me

Spread the love

I couldn’t help but notice her. She was the perfect mom.

Her children seemed like little angelic beings with halos hovering over their heads and they sat like little mannequins in church. Quiet. Still. Perfect.

She was the perfect mom, married to the perfect husband and they both had perfect kids.

I began to wonder how I could be like her. How could I get my boys to sit still in church for an hour and a half, or stand quietly in line without poking the child beside them, or spinning around with their arms straight out as they smacked the children around them or falling down on the floor and pretending to be a worm?

I went through bouts of doubt. After all, if I couldn’t be her then my boys wouldn’t wear matching clothes, have perfectly slicked back hair or be perfectly behaved at all times.

But it didn’t take long for me to realize that God didn’t create me to be her. He didn’t give me her background, her personality, her husband or her kids.

He gave me mine. And I’m SO glad He did.

Here are five things I learned about myself, my family and the Lord during that season of my life that may serve as a filter for you the next time you get a glimpse of that perfect mom in the corner of your eye and, for a split second, think you need to be just like her:

1. Dare yourself never to compare. That’s right… double dog dare yourself NOT to compare yourself with other moms. And double dog dare yourself NOT to compare your children with other children. Seek to be the best YOU you can be. Do everything you can to help your children become the best them they can be. Challenge yourself as a woman, a wife, a mom and as a Christian, but don’t compare yourself with anyone else. Challenge your children the same way. But remember, you are the only you God made. The same is true for your children. Don’t compare yourself and don’t compare your children.

2. Remember no one is perfect. You may look around and think other moms have it all together and are the perfect moms with the perfect husband and the perfect children but they have things they struggle with too. You may thrive in one area where they struggle. Your daily reading routine may put the perfect mom’s reading routine to shame. You may be strong where she is week and vice versa. Know your strengths and your weaknesses. Work on what you can and give yourself grace to know that, although the Bible says you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you’re not perfect and that’s okay…in fact, that’s very human.

3. Cheer each other on. Most of the moms you think are so perfect deal with many of the same insecurities and shortcomings as you do. They are moms who are trying to do the mom thing right too. Moms need to cheer each other on. Encourage one another. Rather than competing and comparing, moms can help other moms by rooting for them as they often feel like they become invisible under mounds of dirty clothes and stacks of dirty dishes.

4. Live, love and laugh… a lot. When our hearts are fixed on trying to be someone else, we miss the life that is right in front of us. Live the life God has given you. Love those He has given you well. And laugh a lot. Laugh at life, laugh at yourself and just enjoy laughing out loud. Living, loving and laughing will add joy to your heart and to your home. Don’t let your own life pass you by because you’re focused on someone else’s life. Just be the best you you can be and have fun doing it. It will transfer confidence to your kids and your home will be a better place.

5. Trust God. God doesn’t make mistakes. You are the woman He created you to be. You can grow in various areas of your life. You can learn how to do ‘you’ better. You can seek to be the best mom you can be. And you should do all that. But you have to be confident that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You have to trust God that He has placed you on this planet for such a time as this. That His plan for you is better than anything you can plan for yourself and that you can never compare your life with someone else’s… that you can never compare your husband or your children with anyone else’s. God picked you to be your children’s mom, so He has a perfect plan in that Divine connection. Trust that He knew exactly what He was doing when He made you their mom. His character assures us that we can trust Him.

I may not have ever attained to the coveted title of Perfect Mom, but I wasn’t created to be perfect, I was created to be me. And you were created to be you. So don’t let any other mother intimidate you, whether intentionally or not.

You, sweet mom, are a Divine design… carefully crafted by the Creator of the Universe and He has a plan for your life that is perfect for you.

Do you ever struggle with being intimidated by other mothers? Do you ever notice the Perfect Mom and try to be life her? What do you do when you feel intimidated by other mothers?

 

Stephanie Shott
Latest posts by Stephanie Shott (see all)
Share