So, my boy started crawling 4 days ago.

He’s 10 months old…for another few days anyway.

Go ahead. It’s okay…you can one-up me.

My kids are late crawlers (among other things) and I’m okay with it because I have officially withdrawn myself from the Mompetition.

You know what I mean right?  Mompetition: The one-up rivalry that moms play making their child seem better, smarter, and/or more advanced than yours.  

Where you get the look followed by ‘Awww, so sweet.  My Susie started crawling at 6 months.’

Cool, neat for Susie.

As a new Mom, it used to bother me with Grace when she didn’t hit certain ‘physical’ milestones until the very last second of what the American Academy of Pediatrics says is normal.  Was something wrong with her?  Was I not doing something right? Is she always going to be slow?  Uh, no, no…and HECK no.

Then came Jack, the real test for our ‘parent pride’.  The boy was perfectly content right where he was.  I actually had to re-teach him to roll over at one point because he did it once and decided that was good enough for him.

Grace had her Paci until she was 3 1/2

Jack didn’t walk until just shy of 19 months

I could go on but the point is when Luke crawled the other day in the lobby of a church at the intermission of my Mom’s Christmas concert (the one with the sheep), I did not for one second think “finally

Instead, I was just struck how in that moment I swelled with pride and joy and even got a little teary.

Because my boy, he crawled.

And now we’re in for it

Because he’s IN to everything

Love this face, even with bits of lunch still on it

Couldn’t get a sharp photo to save my life cuz this kid won’t stay still for one second.

So join me in withdrawing from the Mompetition.

And just love them in this moment, regardless of whether or not they are as gorgeous/genius/talented as my kids are Susie.

(he he)