Motherhood Myths Debunked

-FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE –
13 MAY 2009

Motherhood Myths Debunked

Today’s mums are rebelling against stereotypes. It’s OK not to be perfect. And admit it.

The modern New Zealand mother is comfortable admitting that mothering is hard work and not all about long flowing skirts, making daisy chains and baking muffins.

The new trend of mums is to admit deeply dichotic feelings and to rebel against established stereo-types of motherhood. There are good days and there are bad days, there is laughter, tears and very often an evening glass of wine.

Social networking site for mothers, www.mumsontop.co.nz has seen an influx of women who are more than happy to share the realities of motherhood with each other. Discussions in the forums are often very raw.

One member says of the early motherhood years: “I still don't know what was up with me when my youngest were little - mostly I think I was completely and utterly worn out. I felt like I'd survived something no one should be able to survive, because it was so full on - all day & night for months on end.”

Many members then agreed, with another saying: “I love being a mum now, as opposed to in the beginning when I just felt like I was playing out a role like in a theatre and that it had to be played and that you had to be strong...”

A recent competition on the site saw members submitting images of the modern mum. The result was love and laughter but also deep introspection through creative art. Mums on Top member Nicole Engebretsen submitted a self-portrait during pregnancy, reflecting the body and emotional changes that she went through. “I discovered so much about myself when I was pregnant,” she says. “There was so much going on that I had never anticipated – little did I know that it was just the beginning!”

“This is the information age,” says Marilynn McLachlan, Mums on Top founder. “Mothers are finding it much easier to connect with like-minded women and to openly admit that this parenting thing, while enjoyable, is also fraught with fears, tedium and a lot of hard work.”

Topics such as a woman’s post partum body, baby sleep, circumcision, cleaning and more are all topics that women are chiming in and voicing their concerns and opinions.

“These discussions provide modern mums with a more realistic idea of what motherhood is. It DOES take work and in sharing our feelings and ideas we are validating that what mums are doing is important,” says Marilynn.

Ends

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