I get positive thinking. I understand the motivation behind it. I recently have tried to tell myself that I am not tired in an effort to make myself less tired. So far, I still need a nap almost every day. I'm trying not to complain so much. About my exhaustion. About my body (see previous post). About my kids. About school.
I could keep going. But I'll spare you. No one wants to hear me complain. But you know what else no one wants to hear?
"I have the most adorable and righteous children!" I know they're good kids. But you're only allowed to post that if you'll also admit they're little hellions.
"My marriage is the most perfect! Nothing can possibly damage this relationship!"
Oh really? Let me take a stab at it.
"We are having so much fun at Disneyland!" I'm sorry, but I just can't shout hooray with you. Unless you've been on vacation when your kid has puked all over and one of the parents is sick, I don't care about your vacation.
"I've had my teeth whitened!" As well as breast-enhancement, liposuction, and fake lashes. Guess what? We can tell.
This doesn't mean I don't want to hear about your accomplishments and the good things in your life. But if that is all you post, then I'm seeing right through you. I am especially tired of mothers saying these things. And I'm also tired of the judgmentalness that comes with it. Don't look at my life and judge it.
I had a conversation the other day with a neighbor who expressed her concern over the photos posted by teenage girls in our neighborhood. Glamour shots. Perfect life on screen. Showing only the best sides of themselves. She wondered if they understood that screen life is not real life.
I'm with her. Not only do I see the trends in teenage girls, but in mothers as well. I understand the need to appear perfect on screen. I've done it! I hate that I've done it. I used to be incredibly self conscious about getting my picture taken. That all changed with my sister, who decided crazy faces were more fun and less stressful. Every time my three sisters and I took our pictures together, we'd made ridiculous faces. I don't know why, but it made me loosen up about how I was viewed by other people. I wanted to be fun! I wanted to be crazy!
If your life is perfect, I don't want to hear about it.
For example, if there were novels where the protagonist didn't face any challenges, we wouldn't read them. Boring! I want to hear about the grit. I have friends that post about their kids writing on the walls with marker, about the fights and the crying. It's real, and I love it. I love moms who struggle, who put themselves out there. Moms who stand up for their sometimes less popular decisions on parenting. Moms who form support groups. Moms who cry. Moms who scream. Moms who quietly mourn their former lives. Moms who show their inner strength.
Because if you're a mom, after all this, you really do have a deep love for your family that no one understands but you. And that, my friends, is the only perfect part of this madness.
"I have the most adorable and righteous children!" I know they're good kids. But you're only allowed to post that if you'll also admit they're little hellions.
"My marriage is the most perfect! Nothing can possibly damage this relationship!"
Oh really? Let me take a stab at it.
"We are having so much fun at Disneyland!" I'm sorry, but I just can't shout hooray with you. Unless you've been on vacation when your kid has puked all over and one of the parents is sick, I don't care about your vacation.
"I've had my teeth whitened!" As well as breast-enhancement, liposuction, and fake lashes. Guess what? We can tell.
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| Photo cred Irish Examiner, which boasts apps that can airbrush your face to perfection. Something to think about. |
I had a conversation the other day with a neighbor who expressed her concern over the photos posted by teenage girls in our neighborhood. Glamour shots. Perfect life on screen. Showing only the best sides of themselves. She wondered if they understood that screen life is not real life.
I'm with her. Not only do I see the trends in teenage girls, but in mothers as well. I understand the need to appear perfect on screen. I've done it! I hate that I've done it. I used to be incredibly self conscious about getting my picture taken. That all changed with my sister, who decided crazy faces were more fun and less stressful. Every time my three sisters and I took our pictures together, we'd made ridiculous faces. I don't know why, but it made me loosen up about how I was viewed by other people. I wanted to be fun! I wanted to be crazy!
If your life is perfect, I don't want to hear about it.
For example, if there were novels where the protagonist didn't face any challenges, we wouldn't read them. Boring! I want to hear about the grit. I have friends that post about their kids writing on the walls with marker, about the fights and the crying. It's real, and I love it. I love moms who struggle, who put themselves out there. Moms who stand up for their sometimes less popular decisions on parenting. Moms who form support groups. Moms who cry. Moms who scream. Moms who quietly mourn their former lives. Moms who show their inner strength.
Because if you're a mom, after all this, you really do have a deep love for your family that no one understands but you. And that, my friends, is the only perfect part of this madness.
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