Why so judgmental?

Have you ever noticed how judgmental people can be? Doesn't it seem like Mom's can be some of the worst offenders? We often have some VERY strong opinions about how children should be raised and when we encounter someone who doesn't feel the same way we do we can turn nasty quite quickly. We know better than to judge another, we try to teach that to our children. Yet, we still have the cruel thoughts or nasty comments that prove we're not perfect either.

We judge each other on:
*Foods we allow our children to eat
*Clothes we allow our children to wear
*Discipline techniques
-Spanking vs Time Out, etc
*Baby Wearing
*Breastfeeding vs bottle-feeding
*Cloth Diapering vs Disposable Diapering
*How loud our children are out in public
*How long (or not) they can sit still

The list goes on and on and on. We've all been in the check out lane when the child is screaming and throwing a fit because they want the candy or toy sitting by the registers. We've all had those thoughts of, "I wouldn't let my child behave that way" or, "I wouldn't give my child that candy", etc. We've seen the screaming child who doesn't want to leave the park. We've heard the tantrum coming from the table next to us at a restaurant. We also know we all have had days where we hope nobody sees how our children are behaving, or lack thereof. We've had moments where it's our child throwing the fit or begging for something.

Instead of judging each other we need to remember that:
A) It's not our place to judge another
B) You could very well find yourself in their shoes TOMORROW
C) We don't know what is going on in their life
- That Mom who gives into her crying child in the check-out lane could have just lost her Husband.
- The Mom who has children that are "out of control" could be suffering from a life-threatening illness and doesn't have the ability to parent like you do.
-The reasons for the differing parenting choices don't matter. We all fall short, we're not perfect and neither are our children.

We need to give each other grace! Instead of complaining about a fellow Mom try praying for her. Try helping another Mom by putting her cart away at the store, by distracting a crying child with a smile, by simply offering a kind word. Think about how you would feel if you were put in their shoes and try to respond accordingly! Life is hard but being a Mom is the hardest job there is! Let's cut each other some slack!!!