Look What My Kid Can Do! Look! I SAID LOOK! Competitive Parenting in the Age of Social Media

My Facebook news feed used to be full of late night party pics and pretty girls with duck faces. Flash forward a few years, now all I see are snapshots of babies sleeping and young kids playing sports. I'm no creeper, this is just social media maturation...or is it?

Parents, myself included, are quick to post up-to-the-minute updates of their kids' accomplishments. No matter how mundane, today's youngster achievement is THE GREATEST THING EVA! #mykidisbetterthanyours
This is the good, the bad and the ugly of parent pride.

Joey smiled at a clown today! Sarah crapped her pants at the mall! Penelope mistook cabbage for lettuce!

Don't get me wrong, it's a great thing that parents are involved in their kids' lives and find it so easy to brag about their offspring. Hell, I even started a blog to share my thoughts on parenthood. Moms used to sit around the playground and boast about their kids' latest achievements. But let's be honest, these vampire kids don't play outside anymore, and it's much easier to snap a pic and upload it for the world to see all while sitting on your couch eating Doritos.

But sometimes I find myself getting caught in a trap with social media. I see a picture of a friend's baby doing something crazy cool...and I immediately think "Anlee could do that better!" My parent competitiveness comes out. I can top that, I'm a better dad than him, my baby is smarter, my baby is more athletic, my baby is messier, yada yada yada.

Is this competitive parenting a good thing? Yes and no.

Yes: because by seeing what other parents are doing, it might inspire me to try something new with my kid. Just a little push to explore. Or maybe all I needed was a simple reminder that I should spend more time with my baby.

No: because I could be doing things just to one up the next parent. I don't really have my child's best interest in mind...I just want to show off how good of a dad I am and throw it in your face on Facebook. And if my kid doesn't match up to what your kid does, is he/she a failure? We very well could be pushing our kids too far or setting too high expectations for where they should be. "If my baby is talking by six months, that validates me as a parent and I'll be king of the mountain."

Don't do things to be better than the next guy, do things to be better. (Period)   

So am I saying we should all stop posting about our kids doing great things? Not at all.

I will continue to use every piece of modern technology to proclaim Anlee's awesomeness. You can bet your last magic bean that if my baby is doing algebra before she can walk...she'll be on the Today Show because of my YouTube video with a million hits.

But where I have to stop myself is trying to outdo other parents, other babies, other viral unrealities. Instead of seeing the bar set high, I only need to look right in front of me...to focus on my family, not yours.     

Babies Can't Tell Time...and Don't Care to Know

Top 10 Things Your Baby is Thinking Right Now

10. Why is it so important for me to remember the cow says moo?

9. I waited nine months for this? Bad food, pooping myself and being passed around like a bucket of fried chicken...

8. I'm hungry. I'm tired. But I'm more hungry than tired.

7. OMG!! That wasn't a fart!

6. I don't know what to do with my hands! (Ricky Bobby)

5. Stop staring at me...EVERYONE!

4. Are those things attached to my body? Regardless, they should go in my mouth.

3. They feed me, change me, carry me, make me laugh...I must be their ruler.

2. (long pause with mouth open and slobber dripping)

1. Can I eat that? I'm gonna eat that.

Like Taking Candy from a Baby?

A Very Special Mother's Day

M-O-T-H-E-R

"M" is for the million things she gave me, 
"O" means only that she's growing old, 
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me, 
"H" is for her heart of purest gold; 
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining, 
"R" means right, and right she'll always be, 
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER," A word that means the world to me

Author: Howard Johnson

82 Seconds of Hilarious Cuteness: 4-Month-Old Anlee Tries Cereal for the First Time

Count Your Blessings...Literally

I just turned 30, a milestone in life that you're supposed to reflect on, I guess. You're not old, but getting older. You're not young, but getting older. You're not wise, but getting older.

Looking back, I'm not where I expected myself to be:

• The four-year-old me dared to be a policeman/astronaut/Mickey Mouse's best friend.
• The 14-year-old me dreamed of being an NBA superstar.
• The 24-year-old me prepared to be a TV sportscaster.

And in between, I always thought I'd do big things. You know the usual: getting married and have kids, become rich and famous, change the world, etc. I set these grand expectations on what my life was supposed to be. 

Now do I feel unaccomplished or unsatisfied for not reaching all of these goals? Not in the least bit (even though being Mickey Mouse's best friend would definitely have it's perks). I still feel like the most blessed man on the planet because I choose look at what I have...not what I don't have.

Sure, life could have taken us down another track and led us to some incredible things. But we're still alive and each breath is remarkable in itself. Those incredible things you've pictured in your mind could still be waiting...but for now, focus on what's here, what's now, where you've come from and count your blessings.

Each week, write down three things you are thankful for.

I took this "Thankful List" challenge on myself to not only document my content, but also to see progress. Putting pen to paper helps give me perspective, but you can do it via text message to yourself, on an app, on your computer, write it in stone if you want. Just clarify what makes you happy.

The list will probably start out broad: family, friends, God, maybe some material possessions. But once you get a few weeks in, trying not to repeat your answers, you might start elaborating and coming up with very specific ideas or moments.

Taking on the task itself can bring joy. You realize you have a lot more things to be grateful for than worries. Reading your thankful list after a long, stressful day can bring a much needed sigh of relief. The struggles of the moment aren't as bad when you look at the big picture.  

It's fascinating when I sit down every Sunday night to make my list and reflect back not only the past week, but also my past 30 years. The ups and downs, tears and laughter made me who I am today...a very thankful man who's happy to be right where he is today.

What are you thankful for?