How old is he? When did he first roll over? My baby rolled over at 3 months. Can he sit up? My child sat up by the time he was five months. Shouldn't he be teething by now? Is he close to crawling? And the list goes on.

I feel as if I am constantly bombarded with questions concerning the development of my child. And although I appreciate the interest people are taking, I can't help but feel as if my success as a mother is being based upon the development of my son.

My mother assures me that every child is different and they each do things on their own time, but there always seems to be a comparison, a competition, as to who did what first.

I can't help it if my child doesn't sit up on his own yet. Does it really matter? Since when did motherhood involve such competition?

This all may sound a little bitter, but with four sisters that have children only slightly older than mine, these comparisons are the constant topic of conversation. It seems as if each of us, in our own little way, feels the need to validate ourselves as a mother. I just wish that validating our own abilities didn't have to invalidate others.

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