Moms can't wait any longer for equal rights. We have to claim them now. That's the new motherhood brand, tenderhearted tough mothers who empower our families and empower each other. Our grandmothers fought for the right to vote, to join the workforce, or to choose to stay at home. If we want a better world for our children, we need to create that world.
1. Let's face it; parenting is literally a thankless job. Sure there are the miraculous milliseconds of gratitude and maybe for some moms, their children are awash in a golden aura of appreciation, but it just isn't so for everyone else. Too often we devalue motherhood as some sort of side gig that is somehow less valuable to society than our real work.
2. People might value the image of the sweet old grandmother, but not the working mother rushing from school pick-up to piano lessons, grabbing dinner on the way to drop off another kid at ice hockey. Our brand might say milk and cookies, but our reality is more like organic snacks on the run.
3. The glamour, the travel, the incalculable compensation package; oh wait, that's from the super model job description. Motherhood looks a little different. Some days we feel accomplished by just getting a hot shower and when we really want to pull out all the stops we even blow-dry our hair! Travel for us is more likely to mean a trip to the pharmacy for cough medicine at midnight. That kind of sacrifice deserves some respect.
4. For most of us, it's easy for a day to disappear into an endless vortex of piles of laundry, food to prepare and homework to decipher all after a full day of work outside our home. So much of what we spend our home-time doing is about have-to, that it's easy to miss out on the want-to. Why would anyone want a job like that? Moms and the ones we love deserve better.
5. The Ricochet Effect. Valuing motherhood means valuing your own mother in a way you might not consider. Truth is, she probably made more than a few sacrifices for you that you may never know about. She may have wanted that last piece of cake or how about eight hours of sleep? She may even have felt conflicted, as lots of people still do, about the work/life balance. As all of that was rolling around inside of her she may have done what we all do, she may have made some mistakes. If we can forgive hers, then we can forgive some of our own.
The #1 reason we can't wait for the motherhood rebrand:
The next time someone asks, "What do you do?" I dare you to answer the question by saying simply, "I'm a mother." Feel uncomfortable with that? That's why motherhood needs an upgrade, a reboot, a complete rebranding. We are no longer stylized and outdated glossy pictures of dressed up, tight waisted, perfectly coiffed ladies from Mayberry. Let's celebrate the women we have evolved to become, authentic, strong women making their way in the world and redefining everything for future generations. Together we can have great gluten-free pasta AND a new paradigm where everyone is not only allowed but actually encouraged to be who they are.