Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Being more than Mrs. Mommy

I have two t-shirts that I thought I had specially made just for fun. The first one was shortly before my wedding. I had it made to say "Mrs. XXXXX" (but instead of the Xs, it was my husband's name). The second was right after my son was born and it says XXXXXX's Mom (but instead of the Xs, it has my son's name).

I didn't think about them much at the time. They were fun to make and I still sometimes wear them to make the men in my life smile. For example, I wore the shirt with my son's name on it for Mother's Day, and he was thrilled.

But, maybe...just maybe, I had the shirts made because I was trying to balance my old identity with my new role in life.

That sounds deep, but there may be some truth to back that up, as a researcher recently reviewed Facebook posts and self-identified emotions by first-time Moms to discover that there may be a link between the amount a Mom posts to social media and her overall anxiety around being a Mother, and that she may have difficulty identifying herself in her new role. The researchers speculate that this may be why so many new mothers use their children's image for their profile picture.

The study also gives a deep dive into pressures that new Moms may feel to be perfect. It is a flawed study, due to the small sample size and its limitations to not include a very diverse portfolio of women, but there seems to be a kernel of truth for me: I am more than just Mrs. Mommy, and sometimes it is easy to forget that. But, it is important for us all to remember who we are and who we want to be.

Go onto Facebook and take a look at your profile photo. Is it a picture of you or is it a picture of your child? Tell me why in the comments.

No comments:

Post a Comment