A Camaraderie of Multiples

I am a mom of multiples.  It's true, I do have twins.  However I don't think it makes me the foremost expert on multiples.  Recent news has made moms of multiples the talk of the town, so I suppose being a mom of multiples puts me...where?  I don't know.  Certainly not in the headlines and certainly not the talk over dinner, but somehow people have related me to these stories.  I am asked all the time, usually by strangers who see me with the babies, how I feel about the "Octo-Mom" or "Jon and Kate Plus Eight."

  

I am not a gossip girl.  I'm not into celebrities or gossip.  I read the paper in the morning to keep up to date with national and local news, politics, and my daily suduko.  I glance at the section informing me who was seen out in DC, but mainly so I know what places are hot to eat.  (Hello Georgia Browns!  Love those crab cakes!)  I don't really care about celebrities, as obvious by my last post and not knowing Naomi from Tyra, and certainly am not intrigued by stories with "shock-value".

But since you asked...  

Here's the thing that bothers me about these two stories in particular.  Octo-Mom and Jon and Kate have families, families with A LOT of children.  Their families are fragile, just as any one else's, but even more so because they are under public scrutiny.  Whether or not they put themselves in these predicaments doesn't really matter to me.  What matters is the integrity of their family, a safe and loving environment for the children.  I don't know if either of the parents in these families are giving the children all they can, but I have to believe they are doing the best they can.

I think I am a good mom.  I have my moments, but most of the time I am proud of what I do and how we are raising our children.  However, I can say for certain that I would not be able to hold up while under the public eye.  No one is perfect.  I do the best I can with what I've got.  I learn.  I move on.

Maybe these parents made some bad decisions.  Maybe they shouldn't have been seeking the spotlight so much.  Who knows?  Who cares?  What matters now is how the public reacts or doesn't react.  The families deserve better than being smeared all over the internet, the children deserve better.

But what do I know?  I'm just a mom of twins.