Parenting the Playground

We’ve all done it.

You’re at the playground, watching your kids be all kidlike on the slide or whatever and then you see that mom. The one that parents totally differently and whose kids behave totally differently than yours. You watch them out of the corner of your eye silently judging every little choice she makes and feeling sorry for her that she doesn’t know how to be a good mom.

Are you shocked that I know your secret? (That’s because I do it too.)

What judging spectrum are you on? I tend to judge the moms who are a little more high strung than me. “Come on, it’s just a little dirt. It’ll wash off that pretty little monogrammed dress.” … “It’s only a 10ft jump. He’ll be fine.” … “I’m so glad my kids will be free to be kids and not have to worry that the world is going to bite them every two seconds.”  AH. Such ugly thoughts. That IS a pretty dress. I’d be mad if my daughter rolled in mud, too!

I have been the most judgmental of all McJudgersons and I’m officially over it. A little over a year ago, I made the decision to just judge less. It mostly involves me just ignoring everyone on the playground, but I can tell you in all honesty that I am a MUCH happier person since letting my ideas of what parenting should look like be laid to rest.

I’ve found that judging how someone else parents is rooted in deep, deep, insecurities about your own parenting. I used to feel like I was doing my kid some kind of disservice by not freaking out if he got a bloody nose or threw sand in my face. But now I understand that it’s just how I roll and I’m confident that I’m being the best mom I can be and I truly believe that most moms are just trying to be the best moms they can be. And who can judge that? Plus I’m so over the mommy wars. Sigh…

So let’s stop parenting the playground and just enjoy the slide! (Get it. Cause playground. I pun.)