To The Moms I've Judged

To all the moms of my past:

To the moms I’ve judged for having a C-section, I now know it’s not the easy way out.

To the moms I’ve judged for not breastfeeding, I now know that sometimes a baby doesn’t latch and a pump doesn’t do the trick.

To the moms I’ve judged for always being late, I now know how hard it is to leave the house with a baby.

To the moms I’ve judged for feeding their children processed food, I now know that sometimes you just need to grab the quickest thing you can to keep your child happy.

To the moms I’ve judged for looking like they hadn’t combed their hair in a week, I now know what it’s like to have a baby constantly pull your hair and to feel like you don’t have time to take care of yourself because of the amount of care that goes into your baby.

To the moms I’ve judged for having dirty clothes, I now know that a toddler makes it impossible to have clean clothes unless you change right before leaving the house.

To the moms I’ve judged for being paranoid about their baby getting sick, I now know how difficult and upsetting it is to have a sick baby who clings to you and whimpers all day long.

To the moms I’ve judged for having a messy house, I now know that it is a losing battle to keep a clean house with kids.

To the moms I’ve judged for worrying so much, I now know that the thought of losing someone you love more than yourself can make it feel hard to breathe.

To the moms I’ve judged for scheduling their lives around their babies’ naps, I now know that nap time is the only time you get to yourself every day.

To the moms I’ve judged for breastfeeding for “too long,” I now know how crucial breastfeeding is physically and emotionally for both you and your baby.

To the moms I’ve judged for rarely socializing, I now know how constant exhaustion feels.

To the moms I’ve judged for putting their children in daycare, I now know how hard it can be to stay at home with a baby all day, every day.

To the moms I’ve judged for not rear-facing for longer, I now know how distracting it is to have a child wailing the entire 3-hour car ride home.

To the moms I’ve judged for not vaccinating, I now know how terrifying and heartbreaking a bad vaccine reaction is.

To the moms I’ve judged for not dressing their babies warm enough, I now know how impossible it is to keep a hat and socks on a baby.

To the moms I’ve judged for not being able to lift themselves out of postpartum depression, I now know how utterly horrible hormones can be and that motherhood is no easy undertaking.

To the moms I’ve judged for being on their phones instead of paying attention to their kids, I now know how a single gadget can keep you sane because it’s the only thing that connects you to your adult life.

To the moms I’ve judged for not eating well in pregnancy, I now know how broccoli can make you heave and how a cheeseburger can make you feel like all is right in the world.

The the moms I’ve judged for giving their baby a “unique” name, I now know how important a name is to a family.

To the moms I’ve judged for weaning early, I now know how mentally taxing it can be to have a baby that you feel like you can’t ever get a break from.

To the moms I’ve judged for having a colicky baby, I now know sometimes there’s nothing you can do to calm a crying baby.

To all the moms of my past, I now know that you were just doing the best you could for your child. Thank you for tolerating my ignorance.