I'm not you, and you're not me...shocking, I know!

I've been annoyed lately, REALLY annoyed lately. With women. Specifically mothers. People I call friends (no, not you...calm down...other 'friends'). People I have chosen to follow on social media, talk to at church, swap advice and stories with, and I've realized...
being a mom is exhausting. 
But the exhaustion is 20% my own children and 80% other mothers and their words. 
Their opinions, mostly their opinions about  their own children, the well behaved, the obnoxious, the perfect sleepers, the picky eaters, the vaccinated, the non-vaccinated, the walkers, crawlers, potty trained, those in denial about what potty training actually means, the bottle addicts, the binki addicts, the blankie addicts, the carefree, the veggie lovers, the tan food only eaters, the vegans, the allergy nerds, the soccer enthusiasts, the monkey ability climbers, the book worms, the screamers, the musicians, the readers, the math wizards, the learning disabled, the speech delayed, the newborns, the toddlers, the preschoolers, the elementary-ers, the middle schoolers, the junior highers, the highschoolers, the homeschoolers, you get my point every mother, everywhere, including myself, is annoyingly obsessed with their children.
So where's the problem I'm facing?
My issue as of late, is the need for these women, and myself, to tell one another how and why their way and their children and their lives and their marriages are the right way.

I'll admit I'm guilty of this too.

I do my best to keep my mouth shut because I HATE confrontation. I have my own beliefs and ideologies, and enough nieces and nephews that I've watched and learned how I like things, how I want things, and I've been reminded lately, why I generally only tell my husband, exactly what I think. 

(Mostly because I happened to have found the coolest husband ever who lets my rant and be pissed at the world and yell and scream and throw my tantrums, and when I've calmed down then pats me on the head, tells me I'm pretty and let's me get on with my day without making me feel like my thoughts and feelings are non important, yet reminding me that I'm cute when I'm irrational)

The past week alone, I have encountered an array of controversial topics that I have refrained from commenting on because I get so annoyed with people! And I choose to like people, most of the time. But after a chat with a close friend I've realized I'm not alone in my anxieties, worries, and annoyances.

Moms can be mean!! They get all defensive and snippy. They give off vibes of "I know best, I have more kids, I have older kids, I've been married longer, I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING AND YOU DON'T!" It's a little overwhelming sometimes!

I feel like I can't be myself out loud, because someone is going to try and tell me why I'm wrong, how I'm screwing up, how I should change. So this is for you, friend, to reassure you as you listen day in and day out to the opinions of other mothers, who make you feel like you've screwed up, like you are currently screwing up, like you are going to screw up, and that you will never be a great mom.....I'm hear to tell you that you just need to shake it off, as Joey from Friends would say their opinions are "a Moo point....It's like a cows opinion, it doesn't matter. It's Moo."

We are all entitled to our opinions, and I suppose if we are trying to start a revolution, those opinions need to be shared and debated, but Moms, our job is not to start a revolution about any of the following topics

Diaper brands: including cloth, name brand, off brand, or going all natural like they do in some other countries etc
Breastfeeding: including choosing to, or not to, ones ability to or not to, ones opinion on doing it in public or not to etc
Potty training: including ages, techniques, styles, motivations etc
Bed wetting: including ages, training pants, diapers, medication etc.
Sippy cups: including age appropriateness, what's inside said sippy cup, brand of said sippy cup etc.
Appropriate ages for learning any skill; including sitting up, rolling over, walking, crawling, climbing, jumping, talking, sleeping through the night, writing, reading, graduating high school, driving, etc
Natural ability/talent; Including all skills listed above, music, art, math, sports etc
Vaccinations: Including ones decision to or not to, ones reasoning behind chosen to or not to, the schedule in which one chooses to or not to etc
Pregnancy: including birth control methods, or lack thereof, an unsuccessful pregnancy either due to poor choices, medical malpractice, bodies not functioning the way they should etc
And many others including but not limited to:
weight loss after pregnancy
dietary needs
diaper rash
homeschooling
public schooling
clothing brands
workout routines
processed foods
home cleanliness
vehicle status
painted nails
hair color
body piercings
gender 
baby names
marital status
spouses
etc etc etc


I feel strongly about a lot of things, and one of those things is this:

I am a woman, a daughter of God, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend. I am not here to start wars. I am not here to argue points. I am not here to debate or discuss, or win or lose.
I am here to love.
If you want my opinions on said topics I'll give them to you, but only if you ask nicely. Because I have one job at this point in my life and it's to lead my children down the road of life the way I believe they should be lead. I will lead them towards righteousness, I will lead them towards empathy, towards compassion, towards honesty, towards forgiveness, towards happiness, towards God. Isn't that what we're trying to do, our little ban of mom's. Aren't we all just trying to raise children, who will be better, and kinder, and smarter, and more capable than ourselves?

So form your opinions, and do it strongly, with conviction. Know what you believe and why you believe it, and then... Keep your mouth shut and live. Show me with your actions, with your successes, why I should want to be like you. It's a complicated, competitive world and we moms have to be on the same team, for our children's sake, for the sake of our sanity!  So, the next time you want to say something rude, or judgmental about someone, instead, keep your mouth shut. Find something about that "Other Mother" to compliment, or admire and go about minding your own business living as an example, a HUMBLE example mind you. And show your children that it's ok to disagree and be different, but it's NOT ok to be cruel. You are not a better Mother than me, nor am I a better Mother than you, we are simply different woman, raising different children.