The Greatest Competition that Never Was

I sat in the waiting room babbling away to the woman next to me in the adorable outfit and impeccable hair with her babe laid to her breast. I don’t know why I felt the need to explain to the woman next to me why my baby was drinking from a bottle. I wanted her to know that I had breasted all of my babies, but this particular one was extremely hungry and with the stress of a postnatal infection, my body just couldn’t keep up. I wanted her to know I was a real mom.

I stood in line and stared at the child behind me…eating stickers. I wondered if his mother knew what he was doing. Should I say something to her? If she was any kind of mother she’d pay closer attention to her child. But then I looked at her face, and that’s when I saw it.

I saw the same bone-numbing fatigue in her eyes as I felt in my own. I saw the same slightly stooped shoulders of a woman who worries that she should be doing more for her children than she is. I saw the weight of guilt and perceived failure sitting on her back; and I felt it on my own.

Somewhere along the way we’ve deluded ourselves into thinking we can handle our own insecurities by one-upping the mama next to us and showing her how it’s really done. We’ve been hoodwinked into thinking its us versus all of them; that we must prove ourselves worthy of the title of mother. And we make darn sure they prove themselves worthy to us!

Oh, sisters, aren’t you weary? Aren’t you weary of the warring, the judging, the one-upping and the wondering? We’re all in this together, my friends. We’ve all left the house with spit up down our back and strained peas in our hair. We all have stayed up nights soothing a crying baby…or worrying about why the baby is so quiet. We all worry that we’re doing it wrong and heap guilt upon guilt on our own shoulders for not doing enough, not being enough.

In their new booked, Hoodwinked, Ruth Schwenk of The Better Mom and Karen Ehman of Proverbs 31 Ministries take us on a journey through the ten myths of motherhood our culture perpetuates. With kindness, humility, and a good dose of humor, Ruth and Karen help us

• Identify those myths above

• Replace the lies with the truth of what God says in the Bible about mothering

• Acquire practical tools to help them form new and improved thought patterns and healthy behaviors

• Forge healthy, supportive relationships with other moms of all ages and stages

• Confidently embrace the calling of motherhood as they care for their families in their own unique way

I don’t know about you, friend, but I could use a whole lot more friends and supporters in this journey of raising these dear tiny humans; and I need far fewer critics and judges. I also need some loving hands to come alongside and guide me when I myself am the worst of those critics and judges!

Hoodwinked is full of wisdom, laughter, and hope. It is my prayer that through this book a new sisterhood will rise up. One that is determined to serve one another with love and truth and that through them our families, churches, neighborhoods, schools and beyond will be a fortress of comfort, strength and light.

*Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of Hoodwinked for the purposes of this review. All views and opinions are my own.*