Jennifer Borget
posted in Mom Stories
So, looking at Facebook all day makes you feel like crap huh? Surprise, surprise.
More studies and reports are showing how there’s a correlation between time spent on Facebook, and the negative effect on how we feel about our lives. They’re calling it the rise of competitive parenting but really… A rise? Where have these people been?
I’m not sure if this is news to some people but I’ve been harping about social media envy since way back in 2010. Before Pinterest and the invasion of mommy blogs.
Nowadays I can’t go a week without reading an article about how I’m a bad mom because I am on my phone too much. Or that my kid might get too much candy, or that she’s getting too much screen time.
You know who’s getting too much screen time? Me! And I’m not talking about the mind-numbing primetime television kind. I’m talking about the countless articles, reports, studies, ideas, and parenting epiphanies, shared by everyone.
The bragging done by mothers day to day in my Facebook stream I understand. Who doesn’t want to show off a fabulous homemade Halloween costume? If I slaved over one you’d better believe I’d want to pimp it out for some social media +1s.
And let’s not forget how often Facebook comes to the rescue when we need some help from our fellow moms.
I used to get envious too but I’ve come to realize something… That’s the point. It’s called social media, and if too much of it gets to you I have a tip… Step away. Cancel your Facebook for a few days, weeks, or months. Come back refreshed after drinking a good healthy dose of reality.
Let’s give each other a break, we’re just trying our best, and unless she’s a total jerk, I doubt that mom is sharing her successes for the soul purpose of making you feel like crap.
It only becomes a competition if we let it. So let’s not. We already have enough going on.
Do you feel the pressure of competitive parenting through social media?
A mother of two and wife of one, Jennifer is a domestically challenged freelance journalist, and parenting reporter, aspiring to be extraordinary. To catch more of her adventures, follow @JenniferBorget on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest and read more from her personal blog at BabyMakingMachine.com.
Photo credit: Flickr/ John Loo
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