Investing In Another Mom

Sometimes you just need a reminder that you're doing a good job...and so does everyone else. I was reminded of this the other night when my hubby and I finally got around to watching the Thanksgiving episode of one of our favorite TV shows -- NBC's "Parenthood."

You might be thinking, what on earth does a TV show have to do with investing in anything?  But one particular scene in this Thanksgiving episode really got me to thinking about moms in general, and about how much we need to support and invest in each other. Let me set the stage:

Straight-laced, lawyer mom (Julia) and her mother, matriarch and grandma (Camille) are sitting at the kitchen table after their family's annual fest and football tournament.  Julia's Thanksgiving consisted of producing some truly awful pies despite her best efforts and butting heads with her kindergarten-aged daughter over pre-dinner yogurt and after-dinner Oreos. 

Julia apologizes to Camille for causing a bit of a scene for insisting Sydney's dessert should consist of a piece of pie rather than an Oreo.  She then goes on to say that she just wanted the holiday to be a relaxed and fun day to spend with her daughter - no work, no cellphones, no stress.  And, of course, it turned out to be the opposite.

Does this sound familiar, moms?  Who among us hasn't been there? 

Camille sits down close to her daughter and does some tear-jerking, heart-wrenching investing in her.  I even find myself shedding some tears of my own at this wonderful, tender exchange between two very different moms.

My question to you this day: when was the last time you invested in another mom?  As moms, we all need affirmation that we are doing a good job of raising our children despite the tantrums, boxed mac-n-cheese dinners, and general stresses that come prepackaged with motherhood. 

One of my greatest cheerleaders was my mom.  Despite twin girls who wouldn't eat hardly anything, who went through a phase of not sleeping at all, and who also tested the tantrum waters by adding in throwing stuff in anger, my mom had nothing but positive things to say about my parenting.  Though I lost her almost two years ago to cancer when my girls were just over two, those wonderful words of "Mindy, you're doing a great job, honey" stay with me to this day.

This new year, why not take some time to tell another mom she's doing some good in her kids' lives, too?  It might be a sister, aunt, or really good friend.  Whoever it is, taking a moment to invest in them will reap some serious benefits in their lives.

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