I think Julie Andrews was right when she sang "Let's start at the very beginning". I understand the irony, of course, of referencing Julie Andrews, as her most famous roles were not mothers, but young nannies without a single stretch mark who swept in to rescue hapless parents from a well of parenting despair. With a song. Anywho....
I'm thinking of this as a venue to explore the boundaries of what's "good enough" when it comes to parenting, or, as it has come to be know, being a "Beta Mom". At the end of the day, how do we gauge our worth? Sure, we're shooting for happy, well-adjusted children, but there are days when I'll settle for children who haven't committed a felony. Do I struggle with insecurity when I see a super-fit Alpha mom, striding through the grocery story with her perfectly groomed children, carefully selecting her week's worth of soy-based, gluten-free, organic, farm-raised groceries for the week? You betcha. But you know what I think? I think we all have some Beta Mom at heart. Heck, for all I know, that Alpha could be gazing wistfully back at me - with my juice-stained shirt, hair in disarray, eating oreos from a package I have yet to pay for - and thinking, "She makes it look so easy - I wish I could be more like her." Maybe not.
While this fantasy may not be a reality, you have to admit that some of the standards of parenting, dare I say LAWS of parenting, were thought up by a Beta Mom. The five-second rule - clearly a Beta Mom invention. In fact, this exchange, found transcribed on the wall of a cave in an undisclosed location, is proof of early cave-dwelling Beta Moms.
"urgh" (Mother, I seemed to have dropped my mammoth mcnugget on the cave floor.)
"urgh" (Pick it up and and blow on it, it's fine)
"urgh" (But Mother, the floor is made of dirt)
"urgh" (Not now, it's time for my soap - Tramps of the Tar pit)
Okay, I made that up. I understand that an Alpha mom would have done actual historical research to back up her argument, but you'll have to go to Alpha Mom's blog for that kind of accuracy.
So, I think you get what we're shooting for here - gotta go now, it's time for Tramps of the Tar pit.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
I'm so excited to be your "1st ever comment" on your new blog! Love you and I'm so happy you're my neice! Aunt Liz
Love your blog! We are only six days into summer vacation and we have been to the Emergency Room for stitches, one bee sting, one crying Mom dropping her son off a camp for a MONTH! and countless "I'm bored" and "They're not sharing". Crazy thing is I wouldn't trade it for anything. See you in the grocery store...I am the other stained and tattered one! By the way, Oreos out of the package have been our breakfast of choice for the last three days! :)
Young,woman!
Clearly you were brought up with a complete lack of standards and class!
I'm so proud of you!
Love, Mom
Ha!
Good for you!
I have to collapse in an exhausted heap and wake up to toddlers and laundry ... otherwise, I'd surely have something more pithy to say. So glad you're doing it instead!!! Thanks for letting me know about the blog!
Wow! Beta Blogger Mom, maybe that's it! We love you! (your beta non-mom) . . .
Followed you through your MyBlogLog visit and am looking forward to poking around your site. I am all about Beta Moms! In fact, I'm working on a side project along these lines, so I'll be sure to keep you in mind. Beta Moms rock.
Now excuse me while I save my toddler from yet another random object he is trying to swallow. Who forgot to clean up the floors in this house, anyway? ;)
Hello. May I introduce myself? I am Alpha Mom. And I've marked your blog for documentation in my current research project, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for Parenting Perfection: "Statistical Correlation of Beta Dominance and Early Childhood Sexually Suggestive Speech Impediments."
Just kidding. If you're Beta, I'm Gamma. I don't even remember how I got to your blog...so much for documented research! I'm enjoying it though, and shall be back.
Post a Comment