Tuesday, April 15, 2008

One side of self esteem, en flambe

As part of a couple mom groups, I get regular forwards for cute videos, quizzes, and anecdotes that I usual ignore. However, I got one this morning asking "Which Celebrity Mom Fits Your Style?" and couldn't pass it up. I so wish I had. Instead of the wholesome Jennifer Garner or hip Kate Hudson, I fell in with Nicole Richie. You know, the newbies. The newbies? Apparently I'm so clueless about parenting that I haven't figured out my parenting style yet: "You haven't thought much about your ground rules and may not know the difference between a time-out and crying it out." I feel like the lamest mom ever.

Truth is, I know I'm not this mom. I have my parenting philosophy down, or at least generally honed. I can waver on details and morph as I mature, but I've read enough books now that as I read more (and yes, I still read more) I know most of the tricks already, and pick/choose accordingly. I have two children who are generally well-behaved, who know what a healthy food is and what foods we don't touch (usually), who know about time-outs and crying it out but rarely see either one in use.

What's more, I know why I ended up in the "clueless" category. I'm just not that particular of a parent. I don't need to have professional pictures, fancy vacations, or lots of upgraded items. I'm good with what we have. I'm good. Period.

So why does this bother me so much? I don't know. Maybe I just really can't stand being set-up next to Nicole Richie. Because, really, all due respect here, I'd like to think I'm more than a little different. Maybe I'd like to think that it's not ignorance that makes me like what I have. Maybe it's just satisfaction. Or maybe I really want to be like Reese Witherspoon, because, gosh, she's just so darned cute. Whatever the reason, I'm taking a sabbatical from quizzes. I clearly don't want to know the answer anyway.

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