Critics choice

Do you know what every mom really loves? She loves when you tell her what she's doing wrong. I love being told I'm too hard on my kids by one person and that I'm not strict enough by the next. I love being told that I'm giving my kids an eating disorder by trying to teach them about nutrition, moderation in junk and sugar and that food can be fuel and even help heal our bodies when we are sick. I love being told that sensory processing disorder isn't a real thing and that I'm just wasting time and money on therapies. I love hearing that my kids deserve a better education that what my obviously simple mind can teach them at home with curriculum and text that has been around longer than I've been alive.
Maybe people don't MEAN to tear mothers down. Maybe they think they are helping by giving their pushy advice, but it's still hurtful, especially when it comes from friends, loved ones and family. There is so much negativity and judgment all over and it's no surprise that depression and anxiety are so prevalent.
I have been trying really hard to share positive encouragement with my fellow moms. When sharing "advice" I try to share what works for our family in a way that says, "this has helped us with the same issues you're experiencing, it may or may not work for you."
Moms get enough criticism, be an encouragement to your fellow moms. Build her up, feed her meter, give her a boost by telling her what she's doing right or what you admire about her.
Words have a lot of power, especially from those we love. Motherhood is a hard job, we don't get everything right all the time, but we do our best. Being told we aren't doing a good enough job sows seeds of doubt and fuels the mom guilt. It makes me want to back away from those relationships that I care deeply about but that are making me feel more and more like a crappy mom because I'm not pleasing others. I work hard to feed and nurture my children in the best possible ways and to raise them in a loving Christion environment, I am NOT a bad mom just because I don't meet someone else's expectations. Don't buy into it!