Parenting peer pressure is real

The mom influence. Oh yeah, it’s a thing and you have to be a strong individual to ignore the pressure other moms can have on you — it’s not that they don’t mean well, but sometimes you need to put aside what other moms are doing and how they’re doing it and do what’s right for you and your kids. All moms are different, as are all kids, but at the end of the day it’s important to trust your own judgment and make decisions based on what is best for you and your family.

I started to think more about this as I watched a couple of episodes of Bravo TV’s new comedy, “Odd Mom Out.” The main character, Jill Weber, a mom of three, is well off but the women in her Upper East Side world, including her sister-in-law, are much wealthier (and obnoxious) and as such she feels, well, odd and not part of the “momzilla” circle she lives in. Jill feels pressure from all angles — from her own style choices to the schools she’s considering sending her children to.

The show is laugh out loud funny! And if you’re a mom, you’ll totally relate to those age-old experiences that a lot of moms face and find stressful in real life (e.g., the kindergarten application process, UGGH!!!) but sometimes when you take a step back, is it really worth the stress?

For example, the stress I’ve been putting myself under regarding pre-k is insane. I have to remind myself that it is just pre-k, not college. Parenting is hard enough, and allowing what others are doing to make you fee like you’re not doing enough is a losing proposition. Like many mothers, Jill experiences her insecure mom moments — who doesn’t?

But at the end of the day she remains true to her quirky, likable self—and that’s what you want your kids to learn from you: To be able to think and make decisions and be confident in who they are regardless of what others are doing. To me, that is a valuable lesson.

Have you seen the show? Tweet me your thoughts at @yeseniaalmonte.