I know competition exists with school-aged children’s parents, but did you know that there’s a different competition currently active at playdates? I call it the One-upmomship because basically that’s what it is.
“Sally just learned how to walk!” – Mom1
“Aw! How sweet! How old is she?” – Mom2
“She just turned 14 months. We’re so proud” – Mom1
“Johnny learned how to talk at 9 months.” – Mom2
“Neh.” – Mom1

I think sometimes we do it without realizing it, but I’m so fully aware of it that I actually interrupt other moms to make sure this doesn’t happen. A lot of feelings get hurt and many mom’s feeling inadequate. They feel their child is “behind” because they’re developing later than the other kids. No one is really immune to this either, even the crunchy moms have those who compete on who’s greener. Mom1 may use cloth diapers but Mom2 may use cloth diapers, washed them herself in rainwater, and dried outside on a laundry line.
It seems like it’s impossible for all of us to get together and support one another. Even on a mother’s supporting website you’ll find this kind of banter. And the walking example above is a true story. It happened to me.
Maybe after reading this you’ll see that it’s happening. It’s not about who’s better than who, who’s wrong and who’s right… it’s about the children. They develop differently, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less special if your child was faster or not.