How Social Media is Impacting the Motherhood Experience

Ah, social media. Such a blessing and a curse. I have found some of the most helpful tools and tips while I’m scrolling Instagram to stay awake while feeding my baby at 3am. In the same 30-minute time frame, I can also find myself inundated with information about everything I should be doing in this season of life. Excel in my career, keep a spotless house, make sure my kids are eating enough vegetables, strength train 3-4x/week, come up with stimulating activities for my kids, date my husband, keep up with friends… sound familiar?

Moms are feeling more overwhelmed and burnt out than ever. While moms have always carried such a weight and responsibility in parenting, millennial moms are the first generation of moms who are parenting with social media at the forefront, and I truly believe it is changing the motherhood experience. The algorithm has us pegged perfectly and somehow knows exactly the thing that’s been consuming our thoughts.

Like me, moms are turning to social media to seek knowledge and wisdom where it is lacking. Parenting is full of uncertainty and unpredictability, and the human brain does not like sitting in that space. Because parenting does not come with a guide book, our generation is turning to social media as a source of information. While it can certainly provide helpful information and resources, it also creates a slippery slope of “shoulds” and feelings of inadequacy.

We have a way of interpreting all of this information and programming a “right” way to be doing things. I find this is especially true with parenting decisions – feeding decisions, infant sleep, toddler behaviors, screen time and smart phones, etc. It makes it hard to trust our intuition as moms. Just because something is right for someone else, does not mean it is right for you (or your child). Generations before us had to rely way more on their intuition to make decisions about their children and parenting.

Social media may also add unrealistic expectations to an already full plate. That Pinterest-worthy play room? The fun holiday activity you should be taking your kids to this weekend? The perfectly curated family photo? Enter feelings of inadequacy here To be honest, most of us would not even be aware of what we didn’t have or weren’t doing if it weren’t for social media bringing it to our attention. Comparison really is the thief of joy.

Here’s the thing… We simply cannot do it all. As moms, we want to keep all the balls in the air at all times, but the reality is, some balls are glass and some balls are plastic. We have to decide which balls we can let drop. Let your values guide your parenting decisions. Start by identifying what’s important to you, not what’s important to everyone else.

How is social media impacting your motherhood experience? There is more than one right way to do things, and the beauty of our role as moms is that we get to choose how that looks – whether it’s the same as others on social media or not. Here’s a gentle reminder to not believe everything you see or read on social media. It is simply a snapshot, and sometimes intentionally designed content, not a full picture of someone else’s life.