For those readers who know me, I verge on anti-social. I like to stay on the fringe. I'm not the type to go to the park, prepared to make friends with the other moms there. I am the type to go to the park in yoga pants that have yesterdays prune cereal spit up, a sloppy pony tail and mod podge crusted on my t shirt. I know. I sound lovely, but I have my baby and typically a giant cup of coffee, so what else do I need? I view the park as an opportunity to allow the bubbs to have some social interaction, increase his fiber intake via grass and dirt, and get out of our tiny apartment. I think that other moms might view it as an opportunity to have their own social interaction, and actually get dressed. Like legitimately dressed. With their hair done, and make up. I am serious when I say that on occasion a few of them have actually had on skirts. Real skirts. During these times I have been transported back to that angsty high school feeling where I believe that I am just not made to fit in. Now refer to the beginning of the paragraph, I don't always want to fit in. I do however want to believe that if I had the desire, I would be accepted. This is not the case with what I have termed the "Mommy Mafia". During these hours of observation I have noticed that these women just seem to have it together. The fruit that they bring for their children is cut up, like they were prepared. They clearly did not stop and purchase an apple on the way to the park and then let their tiny, toothless baby gnaw on it as if he was going to gain some sort of sustenance when he is not actually ingesting anything.
I realized that I have been comparing my parenting to that of glammed up mothers who I don't know, and I decided that I am a bit disappointed with myself in the things that I awarded them superiority in. Having had a couple of rainy days prevent us from park time, I have been able to step back from my awe of them. Their improved ability to put on make up and actually brush their hair does not make them better at raising a child. It definitely doesn't make them worse either, just in case people are concerned that I am being judgy of the Mommy Mafia. I decided that if the members knew that my pony tail is sloppy because the bubbs and I had an absurdly intense dance party before heading out, they would probably be ok with it. And if they were aware that the yoga pants are the same as yesterday's and yes, vomited on, but it is because during nap time I decided to sew instead of haul bags of laundry down to the machines, they would forgive it. They might have questions about the mod podge. And then if I was actually a social person, I would show them this.
