Perfect Strangers

The Internet has been a tremendous gift. Since Al Gore invented it back in the last century, it has facilitated the rapid exchange of information and caused a huge boom in technology.

It has been an equally tremendous disaster, I fear. Not on the surface, of course. I mean, where would we be if we couldn’t Google stuff? How did people learn things before they could ask Siri? The information availability is a boon. But at what cost?

I am raising a house full of young people. They like social media. (Who doesn’t?) But even though I have Rules and try to limit their engagement across certain platforms, I see some of the effects. I see them comparing their normal-to-worst days with the picture perfect staged photos on everyone else’s social media, and deflating just a hair each time because they know they aren’t….. you fill in the blank.

As pretty as she is. (She spent six hours on her hair and makeup before she took that photo and posted it)

As ripped as he is. (He dehydrated for two days and then hit the weights hard for a while before that one shot)

We are just as bad about it, moms.

As organized as she is. (The pretty baskets lasted a day before the toddler had them covered in grape jelly, but at least they looked nice for the pictures)

As thoughtful as she is. (Granted, some folks have a gifting. But POSTING the nice things you do for people shows a serious character flaw … ever think of that?)

As good a cook as her. (But did your family starve? Last time I checked, PB&J still has nutritional value)

As good a mother as she is. (Don’t get me started. The pictures are just that, y’all….. PICTURES. It’s easy for everyone to behave well for five seconds and say cheese.)

I could go on for days. I know there are those that look at my family and marvel and say “Wow. I could never do that.” The Inferiority Monster rears its ugly head and licks its lips, thinking it’s about to have a tasty snack…. but I’m about to slap it silly.

Here is my today.

Got up at 5 and staggered to the coffee pot to brew some Instant Human. Plopped down on the couch to beseech the God of Heaven for wisdom…. woke up ten minutes later with my coffee seeping over the edge of my dangerously leaning cup onto my open Bible. (I still wonder if you can absorb Scripture through osmosis…) After an hour of teetering between waking and sleeping, I sneaked into our room to wake my Hero and invited him to have coffee with me… we chatted for a few minutes before the sleepy eyed small humans started to join us. From there it was a whirlwind of directing people and reminders and scrambling to get school stuff together (I still forgot my textbook. And I’m the teacher.) Half my kids didn’t have their homework. Two stayed home sick, but I forgot which two until we actually got to class. I dashed out the door with the one kid who has to be there an hour before the others, thought I would have time to get my focus set before Assembly, my Hero was going to come after with the other kids and switch cars with me… but I had the keys to the Suburban, securely clipped to my purse. Dashed back home to switch cars and pick up the rest of the kids. Arrived to co-op RIGHT on time with nothing prepared for Assembly. So I asked the kids about their week.

And so it went. Be cautious, dear mamas, about the Inferiority Monster. He is always lurking and ready to bite, but you have some ammo to fight him. Shut off the social media and the pretty pictures, with their illusion of perfection. Get to know the real people around you who are flawed, but who persevere inspire of it. The real, messy, beautiful lives of the other brave mamas in the trenches. Trade authentic friendships for the perfect strangers that the Internet tells you are your “friends”. And know, beyond a doubt, that you are ENOUGH.