How motherhood has changed over the generations
Do you parent differently to your own parents?
The other day I came across this article which showed photos of how motherhood has stayed the same over the years. It’s pretty special to think that the overflowing love, the joy, the struggles, the tiredness and so on, is a constant for mothers - past, present and future. But there are a few things in parenting that have definitely changed:
We’re more likely to over-think it
My mum often says that my siblings and I have a tendency to over-think things – whether it be what we wear, how we date and analyse relationships, or how we work. I think this definitely applies to how we parent. Generations past seem to have been more ‘matter of fact’: they just got on with it. These days, with such a huge availability of information at our fingertips, it’s no wonder that we get confused as to whether we’re parenting correctly! Not only is there every medical diagnosis in the world to be found online when you type in a couple of symptoms, but there are also so many opinions about the best ways to do things. I suppose that while this might add some stress to an already-tough job, it also means that we do our research and perhaps employ better methods of doing things.
The need to present an image
With millions of social media accounts to view, motherhood has become more of a show-and-tell. I think the culture makes us more competitive – about our baby’s good traits and our baby’s development. I also think it makes us more image-conscious: the more designer clothing the better for our baby; and the more stress-free and trendy we look as mums, also the better. On top of a demanding job, this is a hard act to keep up. Don’t get me wrong – I take pride in my appearance and think that it’s important to keep my nine-month old in clean and quality clothes. But then there are the days where I’m in the same clothes as the day before with no makeup and hair in a messy bun, and the baby smells like vomit – and I try not to take it too hard on myself anyway! We’re only human after all, and I hear that babies are renowned for being a little untidy.
Pressure to prefer work outside the home to work inside the home
Feminism, when in its original form of equality between the sexes, is a wonderful thing. For mothers, it means that they have the choice to be at home or pursue a career outside of the home. Unfortunately, some people think that feminism means that all women should want to work outside – and that staying at home is the inferior choice. How sad is that! I think this is why women will refer to themselves as “just a stay-at-home mum,” or assign so little importance to the work of raising kids and creating a beautiful home where family feels happy and friends feel welcome. If a woman chooses to stay at home with her kids, she should be just as proud of that decision and her contribution as if she contributed financially (also a wonderful thing!). A positive of social media is that there are a lot of stay-at-home mums who are presenting to the world the beauty of their role.
These are just a few things – can you think of any other ways in which motherhood has changed over the generations?
March 20, 2017
I can’t think of a meme which has spread faster than “fake news”, unless it is the existence of “memes” which is a meme dreamed up by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. In any case, fake news is hardly new; it used to be called yellow journalism, or propaganda, or press releases, or lies.
I had a colourful relative from Boston who used to turn his hand to fake news in the 60s by selling articles to the National Enquirer, the salacious American supermarket magazine.
One winter’s day he donned a gorilla suit and got his son, a photographer, to take a picture of him in a snow storm on the Blue Hill, a bump on the local landscape. The Enquirer ran it as “Yeti in Boston!!!!”. A few more sensational scoops like this followed, until he put on a trench coat and had his photo taken from behind as he disappeared into an office building: “Hitler Henchman Martin Bormann Sighted in Boston!!!!”
That was the last time he dabbled in that line of work, as the FBI paid him a visit to ask for more information on the whereabouts of Mr Bormann, the world’s most sought-after Nazi fugitive.
That’s what I call real fake news, not the milquetoast half-truths in President Trump’s tweets.
Anyhow, Zac Alstin has written a very perceptive, entertaining guide to resisting the allure of fake news. Read it here.
Michael Cook
Editor
MERCATORNET
| Costa Rica strong-armed into legalising IVF By Michael Cook A violation of sovereignty goes unnoticed Read the full article |  |
| How motherhood has changed over the generations By Tamara El-Rahi Do you parent differently to your own parents? Read the full article |  |
| Sick of fake news? How about a junk-knowledge diet! By Zac Alstin Whip yourself back into reason-able shape! Read the full article |  |
| The Founder By Luisa Cotta Ramosino The man who made McDonalds the best known brand in the world of fast food. Read the full article |  |
| Beer, Bibles and free speech in Australia By Neil Foster The debate over same sex marriage in Australia has taken some odd turns, but this takes the biscuit Read the full article |  |
| Your marriage: you have no idea of the good you are doing By Doug Mainwaring Don’t despair, don’t give up, don’t be afraid. Hang in there. Read the full article |  |
| Alone in Berlin: the heroism of quiet resistance By Laura Cotta Ramosino A deeply moving film about a Berlin couple who found their own way of protesting against the Nazis Read the full article |  |
| ‘To give witness today is our our most effective weapon’ By Michael Cook Tomorrow the Catholic Church will beatify an ordinary office worker who refused to take the Hitler Oath Read the full article |  |
| When family life bursts in on work life By Sheila Liaugminas Family prevails. And the video of it goes viral. Read the full article |  |
| Shutting up by shouting down By Margaret Somerville When an anti-euthanasia speaker at a doctors' conference is prevented from speaking, you know that something is very wrong Read the full article |
MERCATORNET | New Media Foundation
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How motherhood has changed over the generations
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