Mirror mirror

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the best mommy of them all?

Why is it that when you stand before that all-telling Mommy Mirror, you never see your own, true reflection?

It’s as though there are a hundred other women shoving you out of the way, eager to mark up the glass with their own fingerprints, until you can’t see yourself at all.

First in line is that mom who bounces into school at 8:00 a.m. with flawless hair and makeup, looking like she, and those little designer-backpack-toting duplicates of herself just stepped out of a photo shoot.  She dutifully counts heads, as well as lunch bags, mittens, and science projects, while you’re still yawning and wondering if you left one of your own kids at home in the bathroom.

Her best friend is over-achiever mom.   This woman’s children spout scripture like it’s a second language, speak a second language like it’s their first, and have a thorough knowledge of sign language ... just in case.   She’s doesn’t have time to talk to you.  She’s got places to be, 19 to be exact.   There’s soccer, ballet, choir rehearsal, gymnastics, karate, Bible study, historical reenactment, softball, drama practice, archery, track meet, spelling bee finals, fund-raiser merchandise pick up, cheerleading try-outs, homeroom party committee, library drop off, Mommy & Me, Yoga and PTA.    And she has to bake 132 cupcakes before tomorrow morning - from scratch.  

High-tech mom is just as bad.  She’s everywhere - at school, in the McDonald’s play area, sitting in the stands at Little League practice - because there’s nowhere all her gadgets can’t go.   She can chat on her Bluetooth, sway her hips along with her iPod, update her Facebook status and whip an email off to her CEO without ever missing a moment of her children’s lives.   Every time you see her, you desperately try to remember if you even took pictures of your kid’s last birthday.

Then there’s homeschool mom.  She’s the calm, collected one whose genius IQ children are creeping quietly around the yard with metal detectors and archaeology tools while you smile sheepishly, flushing mud pies out of your kids’ mouths with the garden hose for the fifth time. 

If that weren’t enough pressure, you’ve also got to contend with happy-homemaker, next-door neighbor mom, whose aromas of home-cooked meals waft into your open window at precisely 6:00 p.m. every day, while you’re still standing in front of the open fridge, trying to decide between hot dogs and pizza rolls.

And who could ever live up to bath-every-night, brush-three-times-a-day, early-bedtime mom?   Her squeaky clean, sparkling, well-rested children never have a virus, cavity, or mid-day meltdown.   Not to mention her smiley, smitten husband who gets to watch Prime time tv in peace, still has time to hang the Do Not Disturb sign and get eight hours of sleep before the kid-alarm goes off in the morning.  

With all these women and more vying for a spot in front of your mirror, it’s very easy to get lost in the crowd.  To lose sight of yourself.  

But let me tell you a little secret.   Shhh... don’t let anyone else know.  

Stand on your tippy-toes.

That’s right, you heard me.  

Right there, in the middle of the crowd, just rise up. 

Now, look!  Down there in the front, going against the crowd, are your children.   They’re not looking at all those other moms; they are looking for you.  For they remember something that you’ve forgotten.

They are your mirror.  

It doesn’t matter that you’re not like all those other moms.  You are their mom.  And the only thing you’ll see reflected in them is love. 

You love them.   They know it.  And that’s more than enough.