Motherhood at it's worst

I'm about to admit something right now...

And after that some of you may look at me differently.

I used to judge other mothers.

Gasp.

Go on, lift your jaw off the floor.

If I'm completely honest I still do from time to time, but let me tell you, my foot has been stuck too far in my mouth one times too many to keep thinking that way very often.

Also, I think that when we start out as new mothers we believe we can do it better than others.

We're a bit of know-it-alls when it comes to the way other people raise their kids.

"My kid would NEVER do that. My kid would NEVER act that way. I would NEVER let that slide."

And yes, sometimes I still say it. And I still believe it.

But at least now I am smart enough to realize that if I haven't been there, I can NEVER say NEVER.

This last week I was just proven how true this is too.

One of my pre-mommyhood pet-peeves was when a child was going all kinds of crazy in a restaurant or a store. The big tantrums at a checkout lane?

I wanted to go over there and shake those kids myself.

Not to mention the ugly "This-lady-really-does-not-have-her-$%^&-together" thoughts that were going through my mind during those moments.

And then I had a kid...

And then this week happened.

See, we were going to the world of Walmart the other day, which is a zoo in itself on a regular basis with no help from people like me.

But before we left, I asked my ever so loving husband to put Giada in the car-seat while I grabbed the rest of her stuff.

Immagine my surprise when I get to the store and pick her up, only to find that the child has no shoes on.

Let's just say the husband was lucky he was not around at that very moment in time.

I just knew nothing good could come from a squirrelly 13month old that would not be aloud to squirrel around to her heart's content.

I should've turned around right then and there...

But I didn't.

Fast forward 1hr, 1/2 a cart full of groceries, a very tired kid and many adventures later, and we have THE craziest kid on the block, who was very well determined to rip my arms right out of my shoulders if it meant getting the heck away from me.

I was at my wits ends by that point, and ready to throw in the towel when karma has finally caught up with my past thoughts and the unthinkable happened.

I gave her a stern "NO" for behaving that way, and without a moment of hesitation the girl slapped me with all her 13month old strength right across the face.

Oh, no she din't.

Only, she DID!

And what's worse, everyone around was just staring at us.

And you know it's gotta be bad when you're given judgmental looks from the people of Walmart, for goodness sakes.

Y'all, I was THAT mom. The one with the crazy kid.

Gulp.

Boy, was I eating all my past words right up at that moment in time.

You know what I've decide? It's easy to judge.

It's easy to stay there and misread a situation while you're in your own cozy world.

It's easy to point fingers and give looks while you don't know the entire story.

You see, most days my girl is a total sweetheart. She really is.

But she was tired, and crabby, and she is not the cuddly type at all.

A free spirit that one.

But if you only saw us during those few moments at the store, I'm sure you may have judged my motherly capabilities too.

Heck, I may have judged myself.

However, I've decided that it doesn't matter what others think.

Motherhood is unpredictable and crazy.

Sometimes it can be embarrassing, and sometimes it can even be maddening.

But it's those moments that remind me of my real purpose as a parent.

To love, to teach, to guide, to protect.

And that's what makes this whole motherhood thing beautiful.

Even at it's hardest.