Mommy Porn

I'm just going to say it like it is.  Moms can be addicted to porn.  Not the kind of porn that has a market for dirty magazines and movies and ruins marriages and men's lives.  But a different kind.  It can be destructive, give false illusions and empty promises, provide a break from reality and generally drive you insane.  This kind of porn is also known as comparison.  Is your kid taller than mine, does he weigh more, does she know her colors first, is she sleeping through the night, does he nurse every 2 or 3 hours?  Is your house cleaner than mine, are your clothes whiter than mine, do you spank or do time-outs?   What kind of food do you feed your family, do you do cloth or disposable diapers, what preschool do your kids attend: private or public or homeschool?  Do you vaccinate or not?

What am I letting into my house from other sources?  I don't know about you, but I have 3 subscriptions to different parenting magazines.  They've just kind of crept up through the years.  I don't have time to read them all, so I feel guilty...like I'm not being a good mom if I'm not reading all the latest info on how to tame tantrums.  Seriously??  I've also started reading a lot of other mom's blogs lately.  Some are just so cute it's disgusting.  Their kids always have clean faces and pristine clothes in fashionable homes.  This leaves me feeling inferior - like I'm not doing something right.  What on earth?

Yesterday at the last Moms 'n More meeting I went to, we had a guest speaker.  Her talk really hit home with me.  She said that when you compare yourself to others, you leave feeling either superior or inferior.  Neither of those are good feelings - or right feelings.  God made you the mother for your family.  You aren't perfect and neither are your kids.  But you are who God made for each other.  So, stop comparing and be who God made you to be.  The mother, wife, sister, daughter and friend that only you can be.

So, I threw out a bunch of magazines today because they've been sitting collecting dust since last December (the oldest issue I had).  I'm going to cut down on my blog reading and only read blogs of people I know because they are my friends and I love them.  I'm going to monitor what comes in my home from outside sources and hold it up against what I know as the Truth.  I'm going to stop listening to the voices inside my head telling me lies and enjoy who my kids are what God has blessed me with.