Are there mums actively destroying other mums?

In my last blog post, I mentioned my lovely book club. It’s a great gang. We comprise of mums from the two local schools, and as many of us have kids in both schools, there is a lot more than just books to discuss.

 

I think the secret to our success has been the fact that we meet in the local, rather than in members’ houses. As a result, there’s no pressure on anyone from a catering point of view, no one has to spend the previous two days hoovering like a mad thing, and there’s no husband eavesdropping in the background. It’s a proper night out, and I look forward to it every month.

 

So here’s the thing: we just read Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. It was generally thought to be an enjoyable read, but what made the post-read analysis all the more interesting, was the subject matter.

 

Little Lies is the story of the school run, in all its rushed, hassled, made-up, lycra-ed glory. It follows the story of three mothers, each with very interesting tales of their own to tell, but the premise is firmly set in the fact that the Mummy Wars are alive and well and being waged in the drop-off area, five days a week, every week.

 

Now I’ll admit, I recognised a few of the characters from the book, but in general I had thought that the Stay-At-Homers vs the Full-Time-Workers battle was only being fought in the media by people too lazy to find something real to write about. In my personal experience, when both sides are being honest, they will each readily admit to what they are missing out on and what they are gaining from their respective situations.

 

For the most part, the mums I know see that there are pros and cons of every scenario, and get on with it, helping each other out where they can. It’s only the ones who aren’t really happy with their life choices who are bitter – and that’s true for everyone, not just mothers.

 

But am I wrong? Are there truly mothers out there like Harper and Renata (you’ll have to read the book) who make it their mission to destroy other mothers who are only trying their best to muddle through, like most of us are? Are the Mummy Wars still being waged?

 

Answers on a post-card…