#Realmotherhood is the Antidote to the Myth of Perfect Motherhood

Blog submitted by Shelly Tregembo

May is Maternal Mental Health Month and April 30 to May 4 is MMH Awareness Week. Our friends over at the Blue Dot Project MMH Week 2018 are launching a social media campaign to breakdown the stereotypes of motherhood.

It’s so very easy in our carefully curated social media world to judge other moms and ourselves. By now we’ve all seen the glistening Instagram accounts of seemingly “perfect motherhood” with beautifully filtered photos of mamas in wide brim hats holding their babies in $500 ring slings leaning casually on brightly colored walls. Or playfully hoisting little ones, clad in free trade natural fabrics, into the air while always seeming to be on vacation or at the cutest coffee shop in the world.

It can be exhausting to watch variations of this mythical mom played out over and over and disheartening when we watch our friends and family perpetuate this notion in real life too.

It all boils down to EXPECTATIONS. If we rely on media, in any form, to set expectations for motherhood then we are setting ourselves, and all moms, up for disappointment and feelings of not being good enough. And further, we set up a weird Judgy McJudgerson situation where we can become critical of one another over our ability to adhere to this fake representation of motherhood.

I humbly join the growing number of voices on the interwebs and beyond and implore you- take some time out to check in with yourselves. And, if you can, reach out to someone who you know needs it.

To move past mythical motherhood, we need to reclaim #realmotherhood and maybe even reclaim our use of social media. Mythical motherhood is really only good for selling those cute hats and ring slings. Authentic experiences of #realmotherhood are diverse and not easily branded!

So let’s agree to embrace ALL of motherhood (or at least acknowledge it). The good, the bad, the ugly and the boring. It’s all there. And it’s just waiting for your Instagram filter. Which filter best conveys “I haven’t slept in 5 years”??

Thoughts for further reflection:

Are there any ways that you can be more authentically YOU online or with friends? What are you doing to build up the women in your life?

For more information about Maternal Mental Health Week and how you can take part, please visit The Blue Dot Project Blue Dot Project for more details.