I came across a new book and blog called (The Confessions of a) Scary Mommy. I loved Jill Smokler's so-called Manifesto but the rest of the free sample chapter wasn't my cup of tea. Yes, it's amusing and witty and spot-on in some regard but I personally didn't connect with it, nor do I want to connect to it. Ever. Sounds harsh and I am exaggerating my reaction here. My point is that despite the importance of admitting and discussing negative aspects of parenting, I would rather focus on the positive. Simple as that? No.
As much as I have my moments of tenseness, frustration, tough stares, and snappy words, I truly hope and pray to the depth of my being I'll never call, or even want to call, any child of mine an... a-hole!! That is as simple as it gets for me, that's where the line is drawn. Now to read someone else doing that... I honestly didn't find it funny. (I'm not sure it's meant to be funny which is even more worrying!) No mommy should ever be 'scary,' in any way. I think I do get what this Smokler's trying to say though: that taking on the role of Ideal Mom is the job of a lifetime and rarely do we achieve (m)any Oscars. Life is a messy business, though a memorable ride for sure. My counterpoint to Scary Mommy is that motherhood is fundamentally beautiful and even if those moments are sometimes few and far between the goodness cannot ever be emphasized enough. Yes, I do think there is something holy in that bond between parent and child. Wholly and holy.
Agree!
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