My new adventure

I'm dabbling into freelance writing opportunities and trying to get a little practice in so that I can improve. I may randomly post practice writing samples. Feel free to give any tips.

Too Much of a Good Thing.

Brace yourself! I am about to tell you how amazingly advanced and gifted my child is! "He's always been ahead in his class.... but I really wish his teacher would challenge him more at school .... He was reading at the age of three after all!"
Many of you have heard this kind of thing. Maybe some of you have even said it. While I fully believe moms do have the right to a little bit of bragging when it comes to their beloved children, we should all remember to be considerate of others.

Whenever I have been part of this kind of a conversation I've noticed that everyone present can usually be divided into one of three groups. Group one is trying to think of what they are going to say next to one-up the current speaker. They may not even realize they're doing it. Group two is feeling a little uncomfortable but trying  to agree politely. Group three? Well, they're silently becoming a little offended.

Things we should remember when building up our kids:
1. You think your kid is the best. And there is nothing wrong with that! But remember everyone thinks their kid is the best, and there is nothing wrong with that either.

2.Share the lime light. Let them tell you something great about their kid without you having to tell them something great about yours. Plain and simple.

3. Not everyone is ahead. Their are some kids who struggle even when their parents are fully invested in helping them. Sometimes too much talk and comparison between parents can be discouraging to others. Or even just flat out annoying. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, that's part of life so please be conscious of others.

4. Teach humility. I've heard it said that kids internalize what they hear you saying to other people more than than when you say it directly to them. This can be a great tool to build their confidence! But we don't want to teach them to be boastful. "Oh yeah? Well my dog's better than your dog!" Ring a bell?

I  tend to think my kids are pretty great, sure, but I am also aware that they are not perfect. I am also aware that I am not perfect. Unfortunately, as a mom I think it is pretty common among women, to compare ourselves to other women.  Most of the time we judge ourselves harshly as we strive to "keep up with the Jones'" of the mommy world. So lets cut ourselves and our kids a little slack. Remember that it is okay to share something great about your kid, and the people who love you and your kids won't mind and will be happy to hear it. But there is such thing as too much of a good thing!