Unspoken Joy: Navigating the Taboo of Loving Motherhood

The Motherhood Kit

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Why are we so quick to talk about the negative sides of motherhood and yet hold back on sharing the many beautiful sides of the experience?

Today on the podcast, Yamel is diving into the topic of the taboo of enjoying motherhood. You too may have noticed a trend in people sharing negative reflections of motherhood, and of people having adverse reactions to those online or in real life who are sharing the joys of their journey. In this episode, Yamel explores this increasing trend, societal expectations that might be playing into this, and the importance of cherishing the good times so that we can celebrate the joys of raising our children, as well as holding space for the harder moments too.

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In this episode, Yamel discusses:

• Her observations that online creators who are sharing the joys of motherhood often receive a negative reception, which was a sentiment mirrored in the article ‘It’s Become A Taboo To Admit You Enjoy Motherhood”

• The various factors playing into this increasing trend including not wanting to be seen as gloating or showing off and, as professor Esther Dermott points out in the article above, the fact that it’s often the negative and worrisome sides of motherhood that parents all have in common, whereas the positive perspectives are often more individual.

• Societal expectations surrounding motherhood that Yamel has observed and the way that these intersect with the unspoken joy of motherhood, because there is a pressure to portray a perfect image but then when you do, you can be vilified and judged for this.

• The importance of community, vulnerability and having a space to share the hard sides of motherhood, whilst also being able to portray a balanced and authentic view of your own experience, so that we as mothers can enjoy all the richness that this spectrum of experience brings.

• The power of reframing the negative into the positive; for example, for Yamel, she has the job of doing her girls’ hair in the morning and although it is a time-consuming job, she’s reframed the task into being a beautiful moment she can share with her daughters.

To connect with Nikki, the TikTok creator Yamel mentions in this episode, click here

To find out more about what is a ‘Trad wife’, click