Parenting With Social Media

Undoubtedly, social media has completely changed society. Everything we do and see is now being documented for our family and friends (and the rest of the universe for that matter) to see. They experience what we experience through tiny 5-inch screens. How is this changing the way we parent and how is this affecting our mental health? Is it?

There are definitely the cons of social media when it comes to parenting. As humans, we’re innately comparing ourselves to the people around us. What happens when our pool of comparison just grew by 7 billion? It can take a toll on us, as mothers, mentally and emotionally. We are constantly reminded and aware of what other mothers are doing for their little ones. What they buy them, where they take them, their first steps that may have happened 3 months before our first steps occurred. This can cause us to feel insecure or feel that we aren’t doing enough for them. When in reality, raising kids is hard enough! We shouldn’t look at ourselves differently and feel a sense of pressure to keep up with what we see on social media. it is definitely easier said than done, but the way it is affecting some mothers mental health is scarce.

Even though social media gives us others to compare ourselves to, it also gives us a community of people we would have never tapped into had we not been on social media. We have endless resources dedicated to helping mothers navigate through their parenting journey and also amazing resources like PHA! Want to hear about experiences people have had with PMADS, there’s a blog for that! Want to know how parents transition out of paternity/maternity leave back into the workforce, there’s a Facebook group for that! The truth is, we’ve all had similar experiences – why not lean on others for support?  Social media actually allows us to feel we have a full team of people rooting for us. You’re not alone in your journey pre or postpartum. You’d be surprised at how many people have had similar experiences.

About the Author: Nora lives in Sunny San Diego with her husband and 3-year-old daughter with another little girl on the way. She had two motherhood events last year for mothers in all different stages of motherhood. She blogs and also is a social media influencer.