Taking the Pledge - Day Two

(Subtitle: Exposure 99% - Week 1)

This post marks the 2nd day of my exploration of what "The Mom Pledge" means to me and my first week participating in the "Exposure 99% Weekday Hop". I love blog hops and the people that host them...what a great way to support other bloggers. So, kudos today to MayMay of "onemomentintime" blog and Nina of "bitsandbobsblog" for hosting the weekday hop!

On with the show....

To quote from the Mom Pledge:

"I pledge to treat my fellow moms with respect. I will acknowledge that there is no one, "right" way to be a good Mom. Each woman makes the choices best for her family."

I used to worry... a lot ... about what other people thought about me. To be frank, I wasted a lot of time and imbued what was left with unnecessary misery. I could tell you my philosophy on the subject now, or I could direct you to Montgomery Gentry's song "What Do You Think About That"...either way would work, but if I just tell you, you would miss a great song and video, and that wouldn't do.

I don't agree with everybody and I don't expect everyone to have the same opinion I do. The internet has exponentially increased our exposure to people with sometimes widely divergent points-of-view. Luckily we don't have to agree on everything (or even anything) to have a cup of coffee together or for you to be welcome at a Sunday bbq...although if I were you, I would make sure my husband was cooking that day! *lol*

We homeschool our children. In our early days, not many people supported our decision. Family members, especially, it seems were worried that the kids would suffer in terms of their education and socialization. Several even threatened to report us to child protection authorities. But it is hard to argue with a 14 year old who devours Scientific American magazine and can converse intelligently on what he reads, a 13 year old (with sensory processing issues) who has blossomed under individual attention, and an 8 year old who loves math and reads her older brothers' books. (Do I sound like a proud mom? You bet I do!) But I don't judge or fault anyone who sends their child/ren to public school.

We are a family of meat-eaters (I can hear my daughter say, "That's carnivores, Mom.") Do I judge crunchy veggie moms? No. In fact, I would love some tips on how to sneak more fresh fruit and veggies into my family's menu plan!

I've lived most of my life in cities (Salt Lake City, Utah and Fort Worth, Texas). And while I loved the theatre (my spelling of choice) and arts organizations available and some of the other amenities provided by a larger location, I am a small-town, country girl at heart. I can't imagine living any closer to a big city than we do right now (about 70 miles away).

So, while I may have a different viewpoint than you, I will not "judge" you on that difference. In my opinion, we are not supposed to be carbon copies of each other, a lesson which I learned from the "Tower of Babel" story in the Bible (whether you believe in a literal interpretation or not, or your religion or lack thereof).