It's been awhile since I wrote an actual honest to goodness blog post. So, I've got one for you. If you don't want to read it, I totally understand. It's probably pretty boring. If you want, you can skip to the end and watch a video of dancing monkeys. Seriously.


I'm not going to write too much about the "Mommy Ladder" because it's been written about ad naseum. And mostly by people who write better than me. But you know what Mommy Ladder I'm talking about. Natural childbirth? Up one step. Breastfeeding? Up another step. Attachment parenting/homeschooling/ organic eating parent? Flying up the ladder!

Here's the thing: I have no problem with any of the things I listed above. In fact, if you did/do any of those, I think you're pretty awesome. But can we all agree to make our own decisions about parenting and -gasp- ACTUALLY be OK with them? A good friend and I have been discussing lately (mostly because decisions we've made have looked down by other people) how many people stand in total judgment of other people's parenting. And I'm not talking lack of discipline, what you let your kids wear, etc. I'm talking about the tough, sometimes heart wrenching decisions that families make.

It's one thing if you say, "Yes, I'm a stay at home mom (using that example bc I am one) and since you asked, I would love to tell you why this decision was right for our family." It is quite different to say, "Let me tell you why I'M BETTER than you because I've made a different decision." Or "I'm really not at peace with my decision to so I'm going to be ultra hard on others to justify my choices."

All that to say, YES, I was induced twice, breastfed both my kids for a year, stay at home with them (which apparently will make them totally unsocial as I was told by someone the other night)(never mind that they go to school twice a week and bible class twice a week (let it go, Emily, let it go)) and I'm not holding my son back next year even though he's on the young side. But even if you're the total opposite of me, I probably still like you. And you probably still love your kids. And we're all just trying to make the right decisions for our families. Which is what it's all about, right?

As promised: Dancing monkeys...