Mommy blogger Melissa Fenton was at the doctor's office when she noticed a young couple sitting in the waiting room. In a heartfelt Facebook post, she said she noticed they were first-time parents-to-be, and they sat in excitement while reading a pregnancy magazine.
Fenton ended up in an exam room next to theirs, and said she could "hear their muffled voices and nervous laughter."
Then, something happened that Fenton describes as "the most magical sound in the world."
A truly magical sound
She said, "It was the loud and unmistakable sound of their baby's heartbeat coming through on the fetal doppler." Fenton was overwhelmed with joy at the fact that she was able to experience the same sound 20 years ago, but that time it was her baby.
"[My baby's heartbeat] filled my soul like nothing else had before. It filled my soul with instant and immeasurable joy," she said.
Although she felt great joy reflecting on when she became a mother, she was overcome by feelings of sadness for the young moms-to-be of this generation, and how many "soul crushing things" modern moms have to go through when raising a baby in this day and age.
Mom-shaming and soul crushing
Fenton realized what this young mom in the room next to her had in store, and she knew it would "crush her spirit and soul."
Don't get me wrong, social media and the internet in general are great things. But, it's also a place where strangers can share their opinions openly about every little thing a new mom might be doing wrong.
In Fenton's post, she explains some of the outrageous judgments that are all too real for new moms of this generation. She wrote,
"That joyful sound will soon be a distant memory, replaced with this ...
Gained more than 25 pounds during your pregnancy? You'll never lose it fatty.
Had a labor full of complications or a c-section? Your body failed you, and your baby.
Formula fed? Baby will have low I.Q. and be sick all the time.
Breastfed for only six weeks? Quitter.
Nursed into toddlerhood? Freak.
Back to work? Neglectful.
Staying home? No ambition.
Boxed mac and cheese? Poison giver.
Homemade mac and cheese? Obnoxious overachiever.
TV watcher? Tablet user? Ignorant. Both you and your preschooler.
Private school? Elitist.
Homeschooler? Religious nut, unsocialized kids.
Public school? Oh, I get it. You're average.
Raising an atheist? You're going to hell.
Raising a Christian? Family of bigots.
Raising a Republican? Blasphemy.
Raising a Democrat? Are you insane?
Kid playing outside alone? I'm calling the police.
Kid never allowed to leave the house? I'm calling child protective services.
No sports? Your kid will never be able to compete in life.
Traveling sports teams? Waste of money.
Piano? Dance? Cheer? Scouts? Brownies? Your kids are overscheduled neurotics.
Do your kids laundry, make their breakfast, and pack their lunches? You're raising incompetent future adults.
Don't do anything for your kids? Selfish.
Low standardized test scores? Your kid has no future.
High standardized test scores? Your kids will arrive at college depressed and burnt out.
Zero extracurriculars? Yea, good luck with college applications.
15 AP courses, president of everything, headed to Ivy League? Give me a freakin' break.
Regular classes, 3.0 GPA, state school? Your kid is totally screwed.
Community college? Why bother.
And just like that, SOUL. SUCKED."
And the list goes on and on. The expectations and judgments placed on moms can sound overwhelming, but Fenton has something to say to ALL moms.
You are the mom
"Remember that sound of your baby's heartbeat? Then remember it's YOUR baby's heartbeat, not society's baby, or social media's baby, or some parenting study's baby ... Don't let the motherhood soul suckers of the world take away one second of your joy of mothering. Not one single second. You are the mom. Period."
According to the world, you'll never be a good mom. It's impossible. But you know what's best for your little ones. Share this to let moms everywhere know that they're doing a great job, and they shouldn't let the motherhood soul suckers get them down.
