Is My Sister a Better Mother than Me?

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is my sister a better mom than me    

 My niece’s 2nd birthday is rapidly approaching, and I am gathering a gift together and feeling bad that I can’t make the trip out to Vegas to celebrate this year.

Last year I went, but the party was a little depressing for me. Mainly because my sister Katie pulled off this Pintrest-Worthy-Every-Detail-Thought-Out-Winnie-the-Pooh-First-Birthday-Extravaganza that I would never be able to come close to pulling off for one of my girls.

In fact, I took pictures and texted them to my husband saying, “This is what we will NOT be doing for Evelynne’s birthday.” Katie has always been craftier than me.

It’s just the two of us siblings, and I am two years older. We were never competitive, but we fought like cats and dogs growing up and were both glad when I left for college. When I came back three years later pregnant I decided to live at home and my sister was there too. She was more mature, less bratty, and excited to be an aunt. Eventually she moved in with the man who later became her husband, and he had a son just two months younger than my daughter. We were stoked about having kids the same age, but Katie still didn’t know what it was like to nourish life with your own body, so I remained the resident expert of mothering.

 Six years went by and everyone was starting to ask would Katie ever have a baby? Then she surprised us all at Thanksgiving announcing she was due with a girl in May! I gave her all of Olivia’s outfits I had saved over the years and was thrilled to finally be an aunt myself. Right around the time her daughter was due I discovered that I was also pregnant. I was reluctant to tell my sis, not wanting to steal her thunder, but she was elated we would again have kids the same age. A few months later and I found out I was having a girl and promptly regretted giving Katie all those clothes, although she was generous enough to give some of them back.

Now we are both breast-feeding, co-sleeping, baby wearing mamas. But Katie does some things differently (better?) than me.

She breastfed well past 18 months and I barely made it to a year.

She’s a photographer and has all these beautifully edited pictures of Piper in perfectly coordinated backdrops, and I just have some random blurry shots from when I actually remember to get out my phone.

She is the mother of all party planning, and I throw things together at the last minute.

Her daughter has a peanut allergy so she is one of those very aware of food moms, whereas I love peanut butter for a snack and sometimes forget what a danger it can pose to others.

She vaccinated, I didn’t.

She worked as a dental assistant and is adamant about oral hygiene, I sometimes forget to brush my own teeth.

The list goes on and on.

 I think it boils down to the fact that we both parent the best way we can, and always support the other. The amazing part is there’s no judgement. She asks her big sister for advice sometimes, and I always ask her to take pictures for me. And since we grew up in the same household, I try to remind myself that for every difference we may find in our parenting styles, there is another equally important similarity. We’re both adore our kids and would do anything for them, we are equally passionate about supporting our families, and we each have a pretty amazing sister (?).

Do you have a sister that inspires you? Or one you’re always having to help out? I’d love to her about these wonderful women in the comments below!

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Carrie Anne
Carrie Anne's mom life could be summed up in one great Bob Dylan quote, "Chaos is a friend of mine." She's a liberal momma of 2 girls, who loves to read, loves to beach walk, and loves to shop. She spends her mornings singing and dancing with babies while teaching the mommy and me Zumbini class, and she gets much satisfaction from educating others on the many benefits of medical marijuana. She recently moved back to the Emerald Coast after calling the Rocky Mountains of Boulder, CO home while attending Naropa University where she studied Buddhist Psychology. Unfortunately those studies did not unlock the parenting zen secret and she still catches herself yelling at her girls to put their shoes on daily.