Aussie mums

Of all the things that I've enjoyed and loved about Australia, I think I will miss Aussie mums the most. I've found that mothers here seem to lack one characteristic that I've found in some American mothers = that weird competitive streak. *Note: my American mom friends in the States do not possess that competitive streak - Micah and I chose our friends wisely* :) For example, 'your 2 year old still takes a bottle?' So what. 'Your 18 month old still doesn't sleep through the night?' Eh, she will eventually. It's amazing. In the States you would get horrified, judgmental reactions and at least 5 random pieces of advice on how to wean from the bottle and get the kid to sleep.

There's a new mum and her little daughter in our Gymboroo class and the little girl is a little aggressive = pushing, swatting, etc. Micah literally runs away when he sees her. Last Monday, she was in rare form - pushing kids down on the ground. Under my breath, I said, 'geez!' Meanwhile, the mum of the baby that gets shoved to the ground looks at aggressive Brunhilda's mom (who's horrified and running to chastise her daughter) and says, 'oh, don't worry about it - we've all been there w/ our kids.' Amazing. Huge lesson for me - showed I need to be a bit more understanding. Poor Brunhilda's mom was exhausted and my 'superior' reaction definitely didn't make the situation any better for her.

Aussie moms, gotta love 'em.

P.S. Her name is not 'Brunhilda' and yes, I realize that I'm totally not being gracious as I just preached that I should be. Patience, my attitude still requires much work. :)