In Pursuit of #1

Photo by raichinger/StockXchange.com




I caught a glimpse of the world's top mom the other day.
How did I know?
She was driving a car in the lane next to me -- two cars ahead of me. Traffic was stopped at a red light, and there it was emblazoned in white letters on her green license plate: #1 MOM.
Surprisingly, #1 MOM wasn't cruising around in a minivan or pricey SUV bearing a "My kid is smarter than your kid" bumper sticker. No, she sat behind the wheel of a nondescript four-door sedan.
Having a vanity license plate declaring "#1 MOM" is equivalent to when a coffee shop has a sign claiming "World's Best Coffee Served Here."
I don't know about you, but my knee-jerk reaction is, "Oh,yeah? Sez who,besides you?"
As I sat at the red light, I wondered, Did she buy that license plate for herself? In all her self-assured mom-ness, was she determined to snag the top mom spot?
And then I calmed my unusual brand of road rage--fueled by insomnia, caffeine and hormones--and realized maybe someone else gave her the license plate as a gift.
Maybe her husband, creative genius that he is, wanted to affirm her for all those mommy hours she logs behind the wheel of her mom-taxi, behind the stove, along the sidelines of her kiddos' games ...
Or maybe her children celebrated Mother's Day, not with a bunch of flowers, but with a thin piece of metal screwed to the back of their mom's car.
True confession: Too often I think of motherhood as a competition.
How am I doing compared to you? Or you? Or you?
What's my standing in the world of moms? Am I in the top ten percent of good moms? The top five percent?
Reality is, I am the mom of four children: Josh, Katie Beth, Amy and Christa. If I spend less time comparing myself to others, I'll do a much better job loving the son and daughters God gave me.
It's not about being #1. It's about being the best mom I can be--imperfections and all.