Picture via Instagram
Being a mum these days constantly feels like a competition.
What type of diapers you use, whether or not you breastfed - every little thing feels like it is used as a way to judge how well you are doing at being a mum.
The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik knows exactly how that mummy measuring stick feels. The mum-of-two shared a video on her Facebook page this week exploring why comparison between mums has become the norm.
The 42-year-old recounted how when she first became a mum 13 years ago, she went to a mums' group where she 'instantly felt out of place'.
The other mums sported cloth diapers, soothers, fancy clothes, and manicures.
"I barely had time to shower, how was I going to have time to get a manicure?" Mayim said exasperatedly.
This group was just the beginning of her exposure to competitive mums, and Mayim was not impressed. She said, "Everything was a competition. These were not my people. I left in tears."
Poor Mayim! That competition can be so damaging, especially because when we first become mums what we really need is a helping hand.
The former Blossom star formulised an interesting theory to explain why mums these days sometimes choose competition over mutual support.
She noted how this generation of mums is the first raised after the feminist movement, told that we can 'do it all'.
That 'do it all' attitude is apt for the boardroom, but when we are taken out of careers and into motherhood, Mayim says, we bring that competitive attitude along with us.
And let's face it, we would much prefer to leave competition behind in the workplace.
Whether or not generational factors are the root of competitive mum syndrome, we are so happy that Mayim has become a part of this discussion.
She also called for mums to connect over more meaningful things than seeing which of our little ones reach intellectual or physical goals the fastest.
"What if we could truly support each other, and not just with lip service?" Mayim implored.
We are HERE for it!
It's almost 2018; let's ditch the comparisons and give each other shoulders to lean on.
