Most of the folks reading my blog are parents, grandparents, and a few soon-to-be parents. So I think the majority of you must have heard, read, or seen the controversial new Time Magazine cover:
Now I won’t go into a thoughtful discussion of this cover like the one you’ll find over at The Mommy Psychologist, or a passionate rant about it like the one you can find at People I Want To Punch In The Throat or a zillion other blogs.
Let me just say that stuff like this is EXACTLY why I embrace my calling as the Experienced Bad Mom. No matter what I do or how well I do it, there is always some magazine, some news person, some other parent, some human being, etc. that claims I’m not doing it right or not doing it well enough.
It is impossible to be a perfect parent. So here’s to all my imperfections. They may make me a bad mom according to society’s unrealistic expectations. However, my supposed imperfections make me a real, honest-to-goodness mom who loves her kids and is trying her best. And that’s good enough for me.
Feel free to share your thoughts. Or just give yourself a double fist pump!
I always wonder why, as mothers, we beat each other up about our different ways of parenting? As mothers, we know how DIFFICULT parenting children is. We know that the majority of us lose sleep over simple and hard parenting decisions. We do our best out of love and extreme care. Knowing those things we should be supporting one another instead of shaking our heads in disgust because So-and-So decided it was best to nurse for 5 years or give formula or stay home or work or use a pacifier or… or… or… WHATEVER!
Over at itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com, Missy said it best by showing this same TIME magazine cover with the caption “Issues of a 1st World Country” and below that is a photo of an African mother, emaciated from lack of EVERYTHING and she is kneeling by her infant’s uncovered grave. The caption: “Issues of a 3rd World Country”.
For those parents who think they achieve that “perfection” that coincides with “society’s unrealistic epectations” and then judge or criticize… perspective can be a you-know-what.
Ashley L recently posted…Err… Blog Redesign Instead
Ashley, thanks for your comments. I also liked the link about the so-called mommy wars that you shared on Facebook: http://www.rageagainsttheminivan.com/2012/05/where-is-mommy-war-for-motherless-child.html
It’s really sensationalist what Time chose to put on the cover, picture and caption. If it had been a story about attachment parenting on the inside of the magazine, I don’t think anyone would take notice. And in the end, all of it does make you realize how good we have it, that we can feed our children at all.
double fist pump!
I am mom enough not to exploit my child on the cover of a national magazine while telling everyone else how inadequate they are.
TheBargainBabe recently posted…Quotable Goodness
Here’s a double fist pump for you!
Nicely done.
You brought it up without making the issue the issue— because it’s not! It’s what the media is creating in this competitive atmosphere!
I’ve just put on Eye of the Tiger and am running around my lounge room…
Lou Lou recently posted…Should stay-at-home mums be banned?
Perfect! You’re not wearing a baby while running, are you?
AMEN to the unreasonable expectations set upon us by society! Personally, I believe that each individual mother knows what her family needs and sets her own goals to meet those needs. Who is society to judge?! Good job to you for keeping your head up and not letting ‘them’ get to you 🙂
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Thanks, Erin!