Parenting Perspective

Last week I was minding my own business when a tweet appeared congratulating me on making a list.  Now, I have to preface this by saying that in general I don’t put a lot of stock in these lists of influencers that appear every few days. I’m almost never on the radar of these list creators, or else I’m added as a candidate with a request for me to tell all of you to go vote for me.  I remove myself from those lists.  I have no time for them, and I’m willing to bet that you don’t either.

But this list was different. It was created by a group respected in the industry and used real stats (omg, real numbers!?) to arrive at the Top 10 Most Influential Mommy Bloggers. Once the shock wore off, I have to admit. I felt pretty proud of myself.

Then reality hit.

My husband called to say that he was leaving work and asked what was for dinner.  I replied, “I’m more influential than Dooce, I don’t have to make dinner.”  It didn’t work.

Then my daughter came home from school.  At first she was pleasant and happy and life was good.  Then she asked me why I hadn’t signed up to chaperone her field trip the next day. Suddenly my influence was out the door and I was a horrible mom.  An hour of tears and fussing later, my emotional seven year old waved the white flag. She conceded that perhaps I wasn’t really the only parent who had not chaperoned once this year and that, yes, I had volunteered in both her reading class and at Girl Scouts.  And maybe I could do better next year.

There’s nothing like our children to lend perspective and keep us right where we belong.