If Mummy was a Boy Scout.

*I’ve had this thought bouncing around in my head for a few weeks. You know, kind of like a stray coffee mug in the boot of the car; every time I went around a corner too fast it would rattle and clunk and remind me to get it out! Well here is me attempting to do just that…

WEEK 1:         BADGES

So I was watching Pixar’s UP the other day, and aside from wanting to adopt the little boy, It got me thinking about all the badges that a boy scout works hard to achieve; things like knot tying, navigation, fire lighting and assisting the elderly.

My progression of thought eventually led to the following questions. If Mummy were a Boy Scout what ‘badges’ would she be trying to achieve? What would the weekly meetings look like? And who are the ‘Den Mothers’ mustering us together each week?

As to the badges; here’s a brief selection I’ve come up with.

There is the basic, entry level ones. The no brainers, the get you off and running ones… (FYI I have included my results/thoughts in brackets).

• Natural Birth (fail…twice)
• Breast Feed (fail…twice),
• Established Sleep Routine (fail).
• Back to pre baby weight (LOL ‘nuff said.)

Oh dear, my pretty pink sash is looking shamefully naked! Let’s move onto the mid-level badges.

• Tidy Home (currently at 68%),
• Nutritionally Balanced, home cooked meals (74%),
• Taxi service (YAY!),
• Polite Kids (YAY!),
• Husband gets clean socks AND jocks every day (almost!)…

Finally we have the senior level badges;

• The ‘Home/work/family/maid/chauffeur/chef/lover/friend life balance’ badge (pffft; as if!!),
• The ‘I never feel tired/stressed/grumpy/resentful’ badge (Barbie is the only one I know who even has a chance at that one; but she’s so plastic! )
• The ‘I don’t feel the need to compare myself with others or feel guilty or inferior when I don’t measure up’ badge (I’m trying!)
• The ‘I am confident, assured, secure and proud of the person I am’ badge (Wow, it’s like the Oscar for best mum!)

So there you have just a few of the badges I thought of when it comes to the ‘achievements’ I have felt pressure to attain on my mummy journey. The ironic thing is, that even though I was painfully aware of how short I fell from the ‘ideals’; I was also equally aware of some other things.

My kids are happy. Sure they might not always have matching socks, but essentially they are healthy, happy and funny kids. My husband loves me, yes he gets miffed about my ‘head in the sand’ approach to washing but hey, that’s what the emergency Mr. Perfect undies are for! I am growing, as a mum, as a wife and as a person. Some days are better than others, some days it’s better if I don’t get out of bed! But in the end, I keep going and I’ll throw my arm around the mummy sitting next to me and hope that she will throw her arm around me in turn as we all sing the mum scout song together!