My Journey to Becoming Clean, Green and Soulful.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Please, Do Not Judge Me.

I am not a judgmental person. But I must admit that before I became a mama I had absolutely no idea what being a mother really meant. I never judged a mother, but I also never really fully understood her world. Before becoming a stay at home mama, I never understood that either. I Used to have a lot of presumptions about what they must do while they were home "playing" with their children. I certainly didn't think that they had an easy life, but I definitely did not understand the entirety of their daily universe.

I now have a much better grasp of motherhood, staying at home with my children, and doing my absolute best to keep my home has happy, clean, healthy, and positive as possible. Motherhood has enlightened me as a person. I now have so much respect. Respect for stay-at-home moms, working moms, work-from-home-moms, nannies, daycare providers, and all the involved and amazing dads and guardians who are doing their damnedest as well.

I will admit that there is almost always a basket of laundry that needs to be folded, some dishes in the sink, recycling that needs to be brought to the outside bin, words exchanged that I regretted as soon as they were leaving my lips, and lessons learned after the fact. But I also can say that my children are happy, I have a roof over my head, a supportive, hardworking partner by my side, and we are all in good health despite this being a very stressful winter and cold season.

I will not act like I know what it's like to be in anyone else's shoes. I do not know you, your family, your choices or your reasons. I respect you for being true to you, whatever that may be. I only ask for the same respect in return. Will I occasionally complain? Yes. Will I occasionally get frustrated? Yes. Will I occasionally wonder what if...? Yes. But would I change anything? No. Not for the world.

I love my life. I have made my choices and I stand by them. I am not perfect by any means. I will continue to make mistakes. But I will learn. Everyday. And I will always be respectful. And I will never judge.

So, to the person who told me I was a "terrible mother" at the gas station all because of a regrettable 45-second encounter, I do not judge you. To my finance's coworker who said that their "wife is a stay at home mom and always keeps the house spotless with a smile on her face," I do not judge you. To the cashier at the market who rolls her eyes and treats me like trash when I stroll up with my baby nursing in the Ergo and my toddler standing and singing inside the cart where you're not supposed to put kids, I say I do not judge you. To the mother at playgroup who gossips about the paint on my family's clothes and the dirt under our nails meaning that we are dirty and not just creative and in love with nature, I do not judge you. To my friends and family who make different choices than me fundamentally, dietarily, ethically, sexually, spiritually, educationally, professionally and socially, I say I don't judge you.

Please do not judge me.