Stop the Mommy-Shaming
Visit any school or playground and you’re bound to run into someone that believes you’re raising your kids wrong. We’ve all seen the sideways glances, the eye-rolls and the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) comments. I’ve heard people complaining about other parents under their breath. I’ve seen parents attacking each other on Facebook. Backhanded comments might seem innocent at first but they can throw a person completely off balance. Suddenly you’re not sure if you’re doing anything right. Mommy-shaming is adult bullying at its worst.
It starts with questions and “advice”
The questions start the moment you announce that you’re pregnant. “How many kids will you have?” “Are you going to stay home or return to work?” Suddenly everyone is an expert on what you should and shouldn’t eat or drink. They speak up about everything from bathroom habits to horror stories about birth. Sometimes they even go so far as to tell you that your doctor is wrong.
As soon as you get even remotely close to your due date everyone wants to know what you’re going to do once the baby arrives. Will you breastfeed or bottle-feed, vaccinate or not? Will you give time-outs? The list goes on and on. It seems like everyone has their own opinion on how you should and shouldn’t raise your children.
Mommy-shaming hurts us all
We are all scared that we’re doing something wrong and we all worry that we’re going to damage our children in some way. When we put others down for parenting differently than us we intensify that fear. While it might make us feel better to “think” that someone is doing a worse job of parenting than we are, mommy-shaming hurts all of us in the long run.
There’s a lot of truth to the saying “it takes a village to raise a child”. Even parents that aren’t surrounded by friends and family, look to their peers for guidance and support. You have no idea what that mom struggling at the grocery store is going through. Hurtful remarks are never helpful. If we could just reach out to that struggling parent instead, I’m sure that all of us, including our children, would benefit.
At Threaded Daisies we dream of a day when mommy-shaming is a thing of the past. The only people qualified to decide what is right or wrong for their children are their parents or guardians. Show your support by sharing this article.