There’s a commercial that I love that was created by Similac… it’s kind of amazing ya’ll! It really speaks to the heart of my hearts when it comes to this motherhood thing!
It begins in a park where all these different “types” of mother’s come together! I won’t explain it because I’m going to post it at the end and I just won’t do it justice!
Basically in the video, they do what us mom’s always seem to end up doing… one upping each other! Because let’s face it, somehow along the way this motherhood deal became a contest for the “perfect mom!” and Dad’s.. hate to say this but you guys are in this too!
WHY! Why friends did we do this to ourselves?! Motherhood is hard enough because we have to make these crucial and tough decisions on a daily basis that could effect the future for our family! That’s enough in itself, shouldn’t we be able to call up another mother and say woah… I need someone to back me up on this or at least support me and say ok you’re doing fine here, take a breather!
There is no one other than another mother that can understand exactly what we are going through or how we are feeling or walk in our shoes! No one will be able to write a book that will come close, because our families are unique and our children… well they aren’t text books! Mother’s are the only ones that can come to close to understanding other mother’s! So it just makes sense that we would create an amazing community around ourselves to be a lifeline for one another, a cheerleader for one another and a hand to hold!
Instead, we do exactly what these mom groups on this video do. We make it even harder for ourselves because we enter this race for the best and the most perfect, and we challenge each other on a daily basis!
The video puts a funny spin on it and it makes me laugh! These moms (and dads) take it to the extreme (but almost not really) and I find myself shaking my head and saying little HOLLA’s and AMEN”S!!!
I laugh when they decide to “bring it” and “nipple up” and then when the stroller goes down.. I suck in my breath!
These moms and dads come running together to go after this baby and then something amazing happens. They all come together and drop their stigmas and their “perfection platforms” and just begin to let their guard down.
As similac puts it “no matter what our beliefs are, we are all parents first!”
I LOVE that! And that’s what I believe for this Real is Better than Perfect!
I believe this real-ness comes from understanding that even though we so badly want to be the perfect mother and parent for our kids, deep down we know that it just doesn’t exist!
For me.. that real-ness came from not only accepting that I wasn’t going to be the perfect mother but actually loving that idea!
I don’t WANT to be a perfect mother and I don’t want Linc to grow up believing that I was! I don’t want him to feel like when he’s a parent he has to go on carrying this idea of perfect parent!
I want him to grow up with this real-ness so he can truly see that there is so much beauty just being who he is and being honest about it!
I think for us mom’s Real-ness comes in baby steps!
It starts with believing that our stories as a mom (becoming a mom and our every day moments as a mom) are worth being heard by other mom’s! That they don’t have to be these incredibly impactful and heart breaking stories! They just have to be our own and we just have to be willing to share them honestly and openly!
I think it starts with not being afraid to say THIS is what works for my family and while it may not have worked for yours, it does work for mine and I stand behind my choice 100 percent even though it may not be the “in” choice right now!
(Hey… our family wasn’t able to breast feed and it was a painful choice that we had to make after 2 months of desperately trying and pumping and fear of judgement and loss of friends).
I think it also starts with sharing your life… your REAL life with your friends and family through your online presence!
You know what.. it’s OK if you don’t have the perfect little one all the time! Guess what… children are children.. they aren’t perfect! They are learning and we are learning and growing as parents right along with them!
I have found that when I get together with another mom and finally let it out that, HEY… last night Linc was like a toddler from American Psycho when I tried to take him out of the bath and what IS this right now?! That finally it’s like other parents are coming out of the shadows and agreeing with me saying… oh girl, it’s the THREE’s. No one tells you about the three’s! They say terrible two’s all the time but it’s the THREE’S!!!
And guess what.. I feel soo much relief! I feel like it’s a breath of fresh air!
We can talk about this and it’s like a salve on the wound that we can actually laugh and tell stories that maybe weren’t quite funny in the moment, but now… woah they are so hysterical!
THIS is how we begin to be real with one another and how we create a beautiful community of togetherness!
THIS… is what real is better than perfect is all about~
Let’s come together and laugh together! Let’s share our story and cry together but I promise you, we may start off crying but we will probably end up laughing (and maybe even crying some more).
Let me share my gift of photography with you and actually SHOW YOU in images just how beautiful life can be when you do let your guard down and take of this filter of perfect and show me the true you that isn’t polished!
I’m telling you… it’s beautiful when its messy and in the middle of the chaos!
This is truly where we are meant to be friends!
Here is that video I promised!
I would guess that there are still some people in that video that might have had a thing or two to say about that mom who let her baby roll away…
but my hope is that maybe, just maybe, we could all come together like all the parents in this video did and just be happy that cute little girl was safe and sound and had one adventurous little ride!!
