preschool adventures: breaking into the mommy circle

after i pick ben up from school i let the big boys run around in this little sliver of green space by the school {otherwise known as a drainage ditch} with other kids from school & their siblings. it's become a part of our day that we look forward to. a little exercise, a little socialization and all for just a short 5-10 minutes. works for me!

the other day, after a confrontation between gabe & another younger sibling of a classmate of ben's, i broke into the mommy circle. {aka, the other moms that stand around chatting with one another after school} i said something along the lines of little boys & how they become friends by hitting or staring each other down, therefore winning respect & establishing that it's cool they can be friends. i didn't say i get it, i'm just stating the facts. anyways, one of the moms was apparently impressed & said

"wow. you seem to have it all together." 

i can honestly say, that was a shocker. i certainly don't feel like i have it together, but i guess the lack of gabe {or ben for that matter} retaliating was enough to send that vibe. i smiled & began to assure them that i didn't have it all together. yes i had on a cotton dress, sandals & my big sunnies, but all of those things hide a multitude of sins! my hair was a day old & i had on no makeup. to which the same lady {who was in workout clothes} replied

"oh good, i won't have to turn my back to you."

of course i just laughed it off. but really?! i decided to take it as a joke that just came out wrong, but it struck something in me. after i processed it later, i realized what it was. i have learned to be content in who i am. sure i have things that make me feel self-conscious of who i am not or the skin that i'm in, but don't we all?! it's just that these things are fewer & i've learned the things i can and cannot change...and with comes a self-confidence. and a truth be told, a joy too. amazing the change in attitude you can have when you don't let things hold you down.

what i didn't expect was the other side of this coin...being the seed for the negative attention. it's heartbreaking really, seeing these women holding themselves captive by the smallest of things. and it seems, until Jesus comes back, we will always either be the one who is envious or the cause of the envy. 

why can't we all just act like little boys? and again, i say it...boys just hit, stare each other down & then they're cool. and i know this because my boys do it all the time. i for sure do NOT, i repeat, DO NOT, have it all together. but i'm glad my kids can be well behaved for 5 minutes. now that DOES bless my heart. can't we all just celebrate together on this one?! 

"stop comparing yourself to everyone else. make peace with who God made you to be."~joyce meyer

so mommas, i ask you, have you cast your doubt onto someone else? be sure to life up those other mommas & maybe, just maybe, even try to glean some info on how to make it happen for you to.