thanks to the mommy mentors

This week I'm saying goodbye to one of my mommy mentors, leaving only one more left in town. Perhaps you have a mommy mentor. Perhaps you, unwittingly, are one. These amazing women can be an extension of our families in a time when we all need all the hands/help we can get.

For me, a mommy mentor is the mom who has a similar parenting style and does all the things with her kids that I aspire to do. I'm not talking about the mom who runs her kids from sports to swim and scouts to dance. That I already know how to do. I'm referring to the mom who in the midst of all the chaos and chauffeuring from place to place, projects some kind of calm and peace over not just her kids, but me and my own kids as well. The mom who stops in the middle of the sentence and says, "Yes, sweetheart. Let me finish talking to Ms Linda, and I will read you a book." And then she does it, even with the "special" voices.

Throughout my parenting career, I have met three amazing ladies who have inspired me to be a better mom. Because as we all know, this parenting gig doesn't come with any kind of an instruction manual. These women do not know each other well or at all. Some of them work and others stay at home. Two of them have two kids and the other has four. One of them isn't even from this country. Interestingly enough, there are some similarities between them despite their differences. They are all well-traveled, extremely patient, positive and loving. Most of all they all have a great sense of humor and spirit of adventure.

And while I may not see these moms very often, even an afternoon with them can revive my parenting spirit. They say it takes a village to raise a child and in a time when extended family isn't around to help do the heavy lifting, it's nice to know that special friends are here to give us the courage to do it ourselves.

Thanks to all the mommy mentors out there (do we call them "momtors?") and the ways that they help us grow and inspire as parents.

**We'll miss you Jenny. Thanks for inspiring me.

Comments

[Julie Hamilton]

Cara Fox is one such woman for me.

[Busy Working Mom]

Our mentors are heaven's blessings to us. Aside from my mom, my girl friends are just a phone call away for a frantic mommy not knowing what to do, or simply needing someone to talk to. This "career" is definitely not an easy one, but it is surely rewarding.