Things that make me feel like a good mom

Of course I think I'm a pretty good mom, but sometimes you just need that little extra reinforcement to feel even better. Lately, I've had a few of these incidents that make me feel like I should wear a "#1 Mom" shirt loud and proud.

-Teen Mom. I love watching this show for a myriad of reasons, but one of the biggest is that it makes me feel like I rock at being a mom. Not only did I make it out of my teens prior to spawning, but I also don't do any drugs (check), don't have any baby daddy drama (check) and don't constantly scream in front of my kids (check). Plus, I know how to change a diaper. Where else could I find such low standards to surpass on a weekly basis?

-Today I took Little A (who is healing well, by the way, just a little limp) to a storytime at a bookstore. When we arrived a woman was getting out of a van with 6 kids about 3-4 years old. I immediately realized it was a home daycare - cool - fieldtrip, right? She proceeded to march the kids into the bookstore, plant them in front of the storytime area, then lounge in a nearby aisle with a Blow-Pop and a huge book with "More ADULT STORIES" on the cover in huge letters. Really? I was blown away. She barely looked up except to comment on my friends' pregnancy and ask how many kids she had. When my friend answered three, she sighed and said "Wow, I can't handle more than 1." Um...okay. Good career choice, then? She later reprimanded one of her charges and told him to sit down or she'd make him regret it. I have to admit, she did have the kids in check, but damn...I felt like a good mom for not having my kid at that daycare. lol

Yeah, I know, it really doesn't take much to make me feel good. Hey, I don't read porn around my kids or take them to the tanning bed, I'm awesome. But seriously, I do often think that compared to a lot of kids in this world, mine are pretty lucky. They have plenty of people who love them, they get told how much they're loved each and every day, and they've never had to wonder where their next meal is coming from. In the grand scheme of things, they (and we) are pretty blessed. So if I sometimes doubt that I'm doing all the right things, at least I know it could always be worse.