August 27, 2013

stupid Mommy articles



An article, titled 7 (Annoying) Moms You'll Meet at the Park (or Wherever Else You Go), from The Bump, showed up in my inbox this morning and, despite my best efforts, I was intrigued enough to click into it.

I try to avoid these kinds of articles, especially on Mommy sites, since they're not actually that useful and trend towards petty (two qualities I like to avoid)...but this one got me thinking...

If there are 7 annoying kinds of Moms that we're all bound to meet at some point in our parenting years, doesn't sheer statistics imply that most of us would fall into one of these categories ourselves? Like the joke, "Every group of friends has a weirdo. If you think your group doesn't have one, you're the weirdo." If you think every other Mom is some sort of annoying "type", doesn't that imply that you're probably a "type", too?

To keep it real, I think every Mama has a little bit of all of these in her. We all worry about our babies' development, share war stories with other understanding Mamas, and wish we had more money in the bank or a less achy back at the end of the day.

Further, why does being a "type" have to be a bad thing? It takes all sorts of folks to make this world what it is and, honestly, I'd really like to be friends with a Mom who carries a giant Mary Poppins bag of stuff everywhere. Because when I forget an extra diaper on our "quick" trip to the store or can't find the burp cloth that I swear is somewhere in my bag, she would be able to give me one of her extras :) Actually, I'd like to be friends with any and all of these "types" of Mamas. We all have something to add to the conversation and we all love our babies. End of story.

I have a major problem with media that uses tag lines like, "Be prepared, new mom. These other mamas are lurking around every corner." Are you kidding me?!? It's like we're all lions waiting for the weak antelope Mom to walk through the door so we can rip her to shreds (and some days we all feel like the weak antelope, which is even worse). That has not been my experience or the experience of any new mom I've met. Why are there so many articles trying to create conflict within a community that can be so beautiful? As women (because I'm pretty confident that a man did not write this article...) we could be creating such amazing communities, relationships, and cultures with each other, our children and our families. Why spend time trying to find things to criticize in each other when we could be enjoying each other's support, laughter, and camaraderie?

I can guarantee that all of us, even on the days when we're "The Whiny Mom" or the "Faux Brag Mom", love our children to pieces and are generally thinking about their success and growth far more than we're thinking about our own.

Mamas,

Keep on keepin' on. You are doing a bang-up job of raising that little person (or people) and who the hell cares what "type" you are?!? Keep lovin' your baby and doing your thing. I promise, it's working :)

much love, L

p.s. if you are a local Athens Mama, I would like to extend a sincere thank you for helping to make this town such a haven for Mamas of all types. I cannot imagine a better place to be a new Mama learning how to navigate the crazy world of parenting :) Also, let's hang out! :)

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