I have two kids and they couldn’t be more different. It didn’t take long for me to figure that out. From the day my second baby, my sweet daughter, was born I knew in an instant. She was going to be sweet and tender. She came out ready to eat and knew what she wanted and wasn’t backing down until she got it. She was calm. She never cried unless she was hungry. She was sweet and gentle from day one, quite the opposite from her brother who screamed for hours his entire first night in the hospital and his first night at home. He made sure his presence was known and he hasn’t stopped making sure you know he is in the room since.

They are polar opposites just like my husband and I. The way I handle each of them is very different. What works for one, doesn’t work for the other. What makes one feel loved, doesn’t fill the others love tanks. What may be one’s strengths, isn’t necessarily the others.

If two children from the same family could be so different, why for one second would I compare them with children from another family? Motherhood is not a competition.

Every one of our kids are unique, they are so completely different. God knew exactly what the specific child in our care needed, who they needed to take care of them, what they needed to develop their character and that is why God chose you to be their mom. Not anyone else. God wanted you to be their mother because he wanted them to be mothered the way you mother, not anyone else. So don’t compare yourself.

Motherhood is beautiful, and it takes a team. It takes a team of women who understand the magnitude of the role of being a mom. It takes a team of women who know how exhausting and demanding this role in life can be. It takes a team of women who understand what it’s like to have your heart walking outside of your body. It takes a team of women who get it like no one else can.

Motherhood, it’s a team sport.

We need each other. We need each other because no one understands motherhood like another mom. No one understands the tears shed, the laughs had, and the depth of emotion that motherhood entails like a mom. We need to do this together. We need to stand together like one undefeatable team.

Our differences, our similarities, who we are, how we parent, what our children wear, what our children eat, right down to how many children we have. We need to embrace each other and refuse to compare or compete.

What would happen if instead we inspired? What if we sought to support the moms around us? What if we made our mission to encourage the differences and celebrate them? What if chose to stop competing and start supporting? What a team motherhood could be.

Let’s make motherhood a team sport. Let’s start with us.