Nothing can reveal our need to be the best mom more than end-of-the-year activities in elementary school. There was no shortage of events and opportunities, and I felt like I had to do them all. In order to win, to be the best, no stone could be left unturned. The end of the school year looked like:
Last-minute presentations (FYI, this was not fun for anybody)
Recitals
Field trips
End-of-year honors programs
Parties and celebrations
Final tests and school projects
Why do we cram so much into one month?!
Even though there were eight million events that May, I still felt like I hadn’t done enough. I tried to be present as much as possible, but social media reminded me I had not done a good job tracking our memories and celebrating the milestones (online, at least). My effort in competing for best mom had left me feeling tired both emotionally and physically.
Between the last week of elementary school for Sinclair and trying to find a new home, I hadn’t posted about the honors program for either of my daughters. I hadn’t posted about the piano recital and the award won. I hadn’t posted about all the celebrations. And it wasn’t just that I hadn’t posted—I hadn’t even taken pictures to post. Which left me feeling like I’d earned the World’s Most Average Mom Award. I definitely didn’t take first place as Mom of the Year.
I have a feeling you know exactly how I felt. Even though raising kids has revealed that my competitive nature still exists, it has also forced me to grow up my view of winning.
