Before You Cast The First Stone

I clearly remember thinking I would never be the mom who let her kids run around with snot covered noses and left-over food smeared on their little faces. I mean who doesn't have two seconds and a clean wipe (that should be in the diaper bag) to wipe that mess up. I mean, ew. Who does that?

Fast forward, I do. Actually, I just did. Me and my motley crew rolled up to target with Carter sporting his leftover protein shake/yogurt stash, and Owie rockin' the dry booger look because when a baby is teething---aint nobody got time to keep up with that snot fest. After I got them in the cart and all situated, I went to grab a wipe and to my dismay, I didn't have wipes in my bag. Actually, I didn't really have anything in my bag. A ninja toy, a left sock, and one stinking diaper.

So we moved onward into the battle that is keeping two babies entertained and sane in a store full of judgemental people and a toy eisle (with messy faces and all). And guess what. No one died. So it's a win for me. So, to you fellow mamas, who show up with missing shoes, mismatched socks, and dirty faces, two cheers to you for showing up dispite the chaotic beginning to your day.....every day. You go, glen coco.

Now let's get to the heart of this post. Judging grubby children is just a minor, comical example of a rampant problem that we all have experienced in one way or another. You know, the casting stones before we know the whole picture. The filling in blanks and putting together puzzles that aren't ours to place. What you don't realize, is when you take stabs at our kids (even when it comes to something as simple as their sanitary habits) we, the mamas, take the hit. We hear you and it hurts us and I'll tell you why.

Behind every child is a mom who cares so much about the well-being of her children that it hurts. But wait, there's more. The well-being of a child goes far beyond making sure they are showered and clothed properly. It's equally about the spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being and every little detail in between. Oh yeah, and by the way, in the midst of trying not to utterly mess up our children, we are also juggling things like showers and getting food into our systems...you know..the luxuries ;)

Behind the scenes of those grubby little babes is a whole lot of love, a whole lot of work, and a whole lot of ugly cries. A mama is the keeper of all things from dad's favorite tie to your little guys wubby that he can't sleep without. You see that sleepy look on her face? That's called exhaustion. Oh and about the dirty faces....maybe we don't have wipes or maybe we aren't mentally prepared to handle the 19th breakdown of the day over attempting to clean a little face....who knows.

But what I do know for sure is we as mamas pick our battles and I promise you we will fight until the very end for our little people. So, trust us that we are doing the best we can with what we've got. Some days we're thriving (eggs and bacon for breakfast) and other days we are merely surviving (toddler gnawing on frozen corn dog..don't judge).

So here's to you, hot mess mamas. Rememeber that the creator of the universe created you worthy and purposed to raise those little people. You are PERFECTLY equipped to imperfectly raise your tribe and to seek out and encourage the target mom who could use a coffee....and a wipe.

Drop the stones.
Sincerely, A Messy Mama