Yesterday I was feeling pretty low. I read some mommy blogs in the morning. I sometimes stumble on a mommy blog and it catches my eye as it is intended to do with it's artful photos of adorable kids and animals or beautifully photographed platters of gourmet dishes. I'll peruse the posts and maybe even copy a recipe or two. But yesterday when I felt like going back to bed before my kids had even had breakfast, I realized that the mommy blog had left me feeling depressed.
This was not the first time this had happened. I won't name any names because these bloggers didn't do anything to intentionally harm me or anyone else. They were just going about their beautiful, witty, environmentally conscious lives sharing the highlights with anyone who chose to read about them. When I complained on my facebook status of my "mommy blog funk", several friends responded. Some thought I was talking about them (LOL!) and others sympathized with my quandary. Who are these women and why do their blogs make us feel so incompetent as moms?
One friend pointed out (very accurately I think) that one problem is that the "pretty mommy blogs" are probably not altogether accurate depictions of the day to day life of those households. You know, the ones where mom homeschools, serves only gourmet, organic meals, her kids never watch TV, and her house is always clean (as evidenced by the impeccable photography of the beautiful children in various rooms of the immaculate house). In the words of my friend, "About the immaculate house... I'm willing to bet that is a lie because anytime there is even one child present there is some law of physics that says there must be at least two messes, one of which you don't even know about yet."
Well, I don't know about the "Other Moms' " houses but I do know this Mess Law is at work in my house. The photograph above is an excellent illustration of a "mess I did not know about". Last summer we decided to move the furniture around in my oldest child's room. This is the first time we had done this in about 5 years so we expected some messiness under and behind the furniture. Nothing prepared us for what we found behind the dresser. The pink spots near the baseboard with an electrical cord stuck to them are gum. And yes those two things stuck higher on the wall are dixie cups. We never did determine what made them stick to the wall independently like that. Maybe I should go move the furniture around and vacuum in there now. No... the baby is sleeping. Why would I waste a perfectly good nap opportunity?
LOL! I don't dare move the furniture in the girls rooms now!! Thanks for the warning :o)
ReplyDelete:-D Thanks, Melanie. That did cheer me up! Now I need to go move the furniture in the kids' rooms and see what gross and surprising items are stashed there.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that the other mom's posts are like buying a wallet at the store and keeping the pictures of the beautiful family and kids and handsome man to call your own. They probably found the gorgeous model home and perfect family pics on istock!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, is that what I have to look forward to? Infants seem SOOO easy now! Ha ha ha!
ReplyDeleteOh, friend...how I love you. As a single, dog mother....I love your honesty as always. You see...when I see the FB posts of the stay at home moms or traveling singles....I go into FBD (Facebook Depression). How did these girls get so lucky and I'm slumming at work, tantrum after tantrum, nose picker after nose picker, the boob grabbers, boogers and poopers,and the gaseous kid who now reaches for the air fresher as I gag only to get home to find the dog peed in the middle of the floor...yes, these are the days of MY life! So glad to see the truth revealed here. And to further your crusade....let me say for all the single, dog mommies like me...I am also exhausted, laundry piled up on the chaise, Saints and Mardi Gras tree on the kitchen table, unpacked suitcase from Christmas in closet.....but damn...isn't my profile pic nice?;)
ReplyDeleteMiss and love you!!
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteWhat you're doing is a kind service to all of us moms who don't feel the need to pretend like they and their children live a picture perfect exsistance. As a mother of four, three boys, and a girl (for the most part, I count one boy as two baceause they can do the damage of two, So I would actually have seven) I find myself exhausted and outnumbered. So if my floors aren't pristine, and my laundry isn't completed, I've learned to not fuss, or get mad at myself too much about it. When the ketchup stains on my shirt, and the cheetos handprint on my back, I've not noticed, get pointed out, and the pointee is distressed at my lack of concern, I think "oh if they only knew."
Thanks Mel,
Becky
What a great blog! I have certainly felt this way, but I've tried to change my attitude about mommy blogs--I look to glean ideas to improve and build on my life--not feel bad that I don't do everything that everyone else does. My blog is a pretty cheery place, but that's not because my house is clean and my children model citizens. It's because I want to focus on the good times. Having said that--I LOVED reading your "about me" section. Maybe you copied and pasted from my life?? j/k. Thanks for bringing humor to the real life of mommy blogging. I know I'll be back!
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