Why is it this hard?

I was sent a link (by my dearest friend) about parenting. It was a wonderfully written piece by a Dad about how unrealistic our expectations as parents are. (Read the piece here... seriously... go read it!)

It really got me thinking. Why is this whole parenting thing so hard? And what's more... why do other parents make it harder. It seems to me that parenting is this collective thing that most of us do in one way or another. Most of us are in on the deal. We know how relentless and tiring and taxing it is. We also know how wonderful and rewarding it is.

So in that vain why do we allow media and other portrayal of parenting to be so damn wrong? And why do we allow parents to "beat up" on other parents? Why are we inherently competitive with one another?

I'm stepping out of that. I am refusing to play that game. You want to think your kid is smarter than mine or more advanced than mine... go right on ahead. I am going to quietly cheer for your kid AND for you on the sideline. I am going to do my best to support the parents around me and boost them rather than tear them down.

I also vow to never, ever, ever go up to a new parent and tell them that they will miss it someday. Never!

Really, seriously. Go read that piece.