My Own Kind of Mom

This past week I heard from a good friend that she and her husband are expecting their first baby--a girl! Of course I was elated to hear the news since I've been secretly hoping they would get pregnant for the past year :) And I was also reminded of the many conversations she and I have had about being a mom. The first real conversation was almost two years ago when I called to tell her I was pregnant with my first. 

During that conversation about motherhood, and in every one since, we've aired our concerns about how we would fit into the mommy world. In the process, we have probably unfairly stereotyped or judged people, but our fears that we would either turn into someone we didn't want to be or never have friends because we didn't turn into that someone we didn't want to be, were real. By the time she has her baby girl in February, I will have been in the for 18 months, and while I don't have it all figured out, I have learned one very important thing: I can be my own kind of mom.

I am not crafty. I do not sew. I am a terrible home decorator (my house is only half a step above a bachelor's pad). I don't really coupon. I am tidy but my house isn't immaculate. I don't work out more than just taking Will on walks every day.  And most of all, I don't aspire to do any of the aforementioned things. They aren't life goals. I really don't think I'd enjoy most or any of them. So especially in a Mormon mommy culture, it was easy to wonder how I would fit in or what people would think of me if I didn't post a cute picture every month of my baby next to some kind of craft with his age on it. 

But what I've discovered is that I have lots of different friends that meet my  needs in different ways. And I choose friends who don't impose their hobbies on me if I'm not interested. And I don't spend time with people who make me feel inadequate. Not that people do it intentionally, but sometimes you meet people and it is overwhelming to be a part of their lives. So I keep my distance and spend my time with people who make me feel positive about myself.

I don't have to be a mom like other moms. I get to plan each day with my family doing things that we think are fun and fulfilling.  My life is simple. And I love it. And I'm grateful that I can know how much my son loves me and that even though he can't talk, I can tell he thinks I'm the perfect mom for him.