What if it was a mom’s world? Sure, we rule a lot of the world directly around us, but what if we were truly in charge of everything. We posed that question (amongst others) when we sat down to interview six women, mothers, neighbors, wives, partners, friends, and individuals with a lot to say. About life, child-rearing, breastfeeding, and what the future holds for moms everywhere.
| Q: | What is the hardest part about being a mom? |
Patience. Significant amount of patience. Which I always thought I had but, it turns out, I don’t. That’s probably the hardest part, not losing my shit and recognizing things like, ‘You’re only five.’ so your sense of logic is just not on par which is why I think you’re being ridiculous right now.
| Q: | What is the easiest part about being a mom? |
What’s really easy about being a mom is loving on these little kids. Snuggling them is easy, and laughing with them is easy, and feeling like a kid myself becomes easy sometimes, most of the time. Just loving them is easy.
| Q: | Do you feel respected as a mom by the culture at large? |
Oh I could go on for hours about that, NO! By other moms, and by women and people who are parents, I think I’m respected in that regard but there are a lot of people who don’t respect motherhood and being a mom.
I think that people who understand the responsibility and amount of effort, time, love, care, patience all that it takes to become and be a mother, they respect motherhood. But I think 50% of this country is not that kind of person, and that’s the problem. And 80-70% of Congress is not that. So, here we go. Buckle up.
| Q: | What would a mom’s world look like? |
We would be faster, better, smarter, more advanced (laughs). It would just be a better place. CClimate change wouldn’t be an issue, poverty probably wouldn’t be an issue, equality and inequality wouldn't be an issue. If the world was run by moms, I think it would just be a smarter, better, happier place. Everybody would have food, everybody would have clean underwear, everybody would get to and from the places they need to go. We wouldn't be in 50% of the debacles we’re in as a country. Likely no wars…all the things.
| Q: | How can moms show up for other moms? |
I think the best way for moms to show up for other moms is to just not judge other moms. That’s the biggest thing. I have never met a mom who’s not felt judged, primarily by other moms. I think being supportive in all the ways and doing it from a non-judgemental perspective is the most important thing.
| Q: | Who takes care of you? |
In my home, it’s my wife and outside of my home, it’s my friends. My wife can see when I’m frazzled, or tired, or stressed, or just need an extra 20 minutes of sleep, or can’t deal with ‘What’s for dinner’. But I think friends, who I go on walks with, who I can go grab a beer with, who can go do whatever with are so super supportive of different parts of me as a person.
| Q: | What was your breastfeeding experience? |
I mean I loved breastfeeding. I would just take my tits out everywhere, I loved it. It was great. So easy, so clean, so convenient.
| Q: | How do we make it better? |
I think the big thing is debunking breastfeeding publicly. Whether it’s feeding or pumping publicly and being able to do that without shame. I refused to go to a public restroom to breastfeed or pump, I just refused to do it.
We don’t eat our meals next to a dirty, public toilet. Why do I expect my child to? Or make food for him that I would use for later? I’m going to do that in a dirty public bathroom. That was a big thing for me, to be able to feed my child in any which way, in clean environments that I expect to eat in myself. I think we need to support more women doing that.
What would a mom’s world look like to you? Share your story here.
