#stopCOMPAREnting
I was extremely thrilled when Quaker invited me to celebrate the real side of parenting in their #stopCOMPAREnting campaign.
It is not often we see the real side of parenting in our social media feeds. You know, those perfectly imperfect moments. Quaker is calling on Canadian families to join the #stopCOMPAREnting movement and embrace life outside of the square!
You see the picture above, most families would crop that. Even our photographer gave us a cropped version along with the original. I shared the original, rubber chicken leg on the floor under us and all! You know why? Because Bella has always called chicken legs abuse and she doesn’t just say abuse, she yells it. It can be embarrassing in the grocery store or at a restaurant. However, at the end of the day it is something that makes us laugh. Even Hailee’s eyes in this photo are a little wonky but, I love it and I love them!
“COMPAREnting” is when you compare your parenting style to how others are parenting. This is a habit that has been heightened with recent social media trends. I know it is easy to do and at times I have found that even I have compared myself to others.
I personally like to think I share a good balance. If you follow me on Instagram I am sure you may have viewed some of my imperfect parenting moments!
When I had my first two daughters social media was nothing like it is today. I think I joined Facebook in 2006/2007, Abby would have been 5 and Hailee 2. There was no Instagram, Pinterest or the million mom groups on Facebook. You know, the ones where you are scared to ask a question because you fear the opinions of others.
These days parents are inundated every single day with so many options and so much information on what is “good” for our family. It won’t be easy, but the less we compare ourselves to perfection and the more we celebrate reality, the more confident as parents (and people) we will be.
We need to remind ourselves to look beyond the image. To celebrate the authentic, unpolished everyday moments because they are beautiful. They are what memories are made of and what our children will remember at the end of the day. I am pretty self-conscious about my acne scars on my face. I rarely ever leave the house or snap photos of myself without makeup on. However, this day I didn’t care I was embracing the silliness Bella wanted to express.
This photo of Abby graduating grade school and receiving her diploma was one of the proudest moments in my life. This was the only photo I got of her receiving her diploma. It is a moment I can’t have back or redo but, it is perfect to me. Even with her eyes closed this photo brings the biggest smile to my face and tears to my eyes.
Let me share something with you that I don’t openly share because of fear of being judged. Bella who will be 3 on December 27th still drinks formula … from a bottle. We thankfully have got her down to just nap and bedtime but she still drinks it. She refuses to drink milk no matter how many times and ways I have tried. She also doesn’t care for any of the toddler drinks out there either. With my older two, they transitioned to milk easily and well before their 2nd birthdays. So as you can imagine the situation with Bella has me stumped! We continue to try to introduce milk and she does get her dairy from other sources, so I am not too concerned. After all I know she won’t graduate school with formula in a bottle.
At the end of the day we all need to remember that our choices and our views are what is best for our family. Just as the choices and views of others are what is best for their family. If we stop comparing ourselves to others as well as judging others for their choices this world would be a much happier place.
We don’t always need to give our opinions or views on something. Take for example PINK. She shared a beautiful photo in all her pregnant glory, sitting on the floor, heating up her decaf coffee in her microwave. What was a beautiful moment shared with her followers turned into a barrage of opinions and harsh judgement.
Will you join me in the #stopCOMPAREnting movement? The Quaker brand is championing behind us all and our confidence to remind us that we know what is best for our own families! It is time we start celebrating all the good things we do as parents and it is time we stop COMPAREnting ourselves to perfection we see on social media. Let’s embrace the real side of parenting. Share your unfiltered family moments using the hashtag #stopCOMPAREnting on social media!
Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Quaker Canada. The opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect Quaker Canada. Any product claim, statistic, quote should be verified with the manufacturer, company, provider or party in question.
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kristen visser says
I love this new movement! seriously with things that I have been through I definitely don’t comparent anymore!
Debbie S. says
What a great movement. Each and every family is different and faces different challenges, and basically most do the best they can do. I love this idea. As a mother of a child with special needs son (adult now) I definitely love this movement. We need to just be there and accept differences, no matter how different they are from our own.
Krista M says
Totally agree with Quaker’s #stopCOMPAREnting movement. My youngest has autism / non-verbal and through his disability I have learned to never judge or compare. It has made me a better person. I think many people can learn something positive from this!
Carole Dube says
What a great movement. I try not to compare, raising children is not easy and what work for one family may not work for the other.