Today on the Oprah show, moms from all over spoke about mom-issues. One topic was brought up that really struck a cord. They were discussing how women are so critical of each other. This is something that I haven’t really run into yet, probably because I don’t interact with a lot of other women. The women I am around are either family or very good friends. This blog is not very well known and I’m lucky enough to have had no “trolls” or other not-so-savory people commenting on my life.

It’s no secret that I am a Christian and I am a stay-at-home-mom. I was married on May 25th and then found myself pregnant with a honeymoon baby almost immediately. 10 months after my daughter was born, I found out that we were pregnant again and this time we were having a boy. My husband is a freelancer and works at home. We discipline our daughter lovingly and have no problem with spanking. Now, because she doesn’t have the cognitive capacity to understand that yet, we don’t spank yet because we can’t explain why she’s getting a spanking. I have every intention of bringing my children up in the Church. I intend to raise my daughters to dress modestly and my boys to be gentlemen. I make sure my daughter eats right but I don’t have any problem with giving her a cookie every now and then. I keep her on a sleep schedule but I am flexible enough to realize that sometimes life gets in the way of a regiment. Ben and I have still not decided whether we will circumcise our son. We’re considering switching to cloth diapers for both kids. I hold my husband up as the head of this family and let him make the final decisions for nearly all of our family decisions. I follow God first, my husband second and my family third. I consider myself a submissive wife and feel that to be in keeping with God’s word. Ben and I have decided to let God decide when our children are born and He will dictate how many we have.

Do I think that everyone in the world should act the same as me or make all of the same choices? No. These are the choices I have made in my life and I am not ashamed. There are a lot of people who would have a serious problem with a lot of my choices. I have actually had people tell me that, now that I’m having a boy, that I should stop having children or at least wait longer to have a third child. These are people that I love and respect. I know that they love me and want nothing but the best for me and my family. Ultimately, the decision is mine and I defer all of my decisions to the Lord. I welcome opinions and advice and I hope that I accept both graciously. I listen to other women make a lot of choices that would be totally wrong for me but I understand that I don’t know everything about them. They are making the choices that need to be made for their family. I find that admirable.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that we are all different. The next time you feel the need to say something derogatory about another person’s decision, take a moment to understand that you don’t know everything about them. Instead of tearing them down, lift them up to the Lord. Pray that their heart, ears and eyes are all open to the Lord and that He will give them discernment in their life. Being a mother…heck, LIVING is a tough job and it would be a lot easier if we were more uplifting to those around us.

But hey, I’m not telling you to do anything.