Is social media making you a grumpy mum?
Pictures of perfectly clean houses with everything in its place.
Happy children playing and sharing toys together nicely.
Not a single food stain on their clothes to be seen.
The seemingly perfect life of others.
It’s funny how we view other people’s pictures on social media and compare them to our lives.
A picture of a children sitting on a beach or playing in a garden.
A video of someone’s two year old writing their own name or counting to twenty.
Am I bad mum because my three year old can’t write her name or count twenty?
Of course not, but these pictures and videos can do a great of damage to mums self esteem and child raising abilities.
Never mind the fact that your own child can name a variety of shapes such as hexagon and pentagon.
Can count to ten, recognises colours, helps to tidy up, is polite and sits at a table to eat her food.
I know people want others to see their lives as perfect and always fun. Never a bad time, but it’s not real.
Just keep reminding yourself of that!
They’re not going to share a picture of their child covered in chocolate or a video of their child weeing on the floor are they?
I mean I assume their child also has tantrums and sometimes refuses to go to bed.
Yes, that picture of their kitchen looks super clean with nothing out of place, but I bet their living room has toys all over the floor too!
Don’t let it get to you!
Just remember that you’re doing a great job even when you don’t feel like you are.
20 Comments
Sarah Howe – Run Jump Scrap
May 25, 2015 at 6:51 am
This is so true. Social media really is a load of crap but has it's uses. There should be a site where you can only put up real life pictures or situations and then people would see. I get fed up of all the glam photos when I look like I have been dragged through a hedge! lol. Great post xx
Sue Loncaric
May 25, 2015 at 7:44 am
So true in fact my daughter decided not to post any pics of her son on facebook which although as a grandmother kills me I understand her point of view. Thanks for being so honest with this post on #AnythingGoes link up.
Imogene Reynolds
May 25, 2015 at 12:59 pm
Love this! Absolutely true, I'm guilty of it and I think we all are. I think as bloggers we probably do both of these.. When I vlog I make sure the section of the room I'm doing it in is perfect yet my whole lounge is a mess. It glamourises it by making things look perfect, but far from it! But saying that I'm not ashamed to share the other bits 'cos let's face it, it's the other 99% of the day we're spending on trying to a good place/wrestling with the mess 😉 xx
Sandy Sandmeyer
May 25, 2015 at 1:44 pm
My cousin is a twin and she had twin boys. Life in their house is certainly not perfect-looking. And how can it be with 3 kids underfoot? Thank you for your honesty, because we all need reminders that we're not living perfect lives. Life is too short to compare anyway. Thanks for sharing at #AnythingGoes.
newcastle familylife
May 25, 2015 at 7:27 pm
This is so true so many bloggers seem to have 'perfect' children dressed smartly with houses that look like show homes. But i bet it is not so perfect all the time like you say one room may be spotless but the other may be covered in toys as is always the way when you have children xx
Morna Piper
May 27, 2015 at 7:07 pm
I thought this post was going to be about how spending too long looking at Twitter makes you grumpy!! This is a great post – and it's so true. Our house is usually a tip and my children are filthy from playing in the garden, I try to only post pictures of them looking lovely though! I have plenty of pictures of them covered in chocolate though!
Sarah Howe – Run Jump Scrap
May 27, 2015 at 8:03 pm
Aww i liked this post! Thanks again for being so supportive of #bestandworst and can't wait to meet you at BritMums (even though I feel like the disorganised one!!) xx
Helen Gandy – Beautiful Things
May 28, 2015 at 11:59 am
Great post, I'm always grumbling when I see pictures of people that have more than 1 child and yet there house looks like a show home but yet mine looks like a bomb site!! Thanks for linking up to #bestandworst and hope to see you again next week 🙂
Helen X
pinkscharming.com
May 28, 2015 at 7:15 pm
You're so right, I'd have to admit I'm guilty of cropping out a pile of washing up or junk on the floor of my photos. Have you seen the #womenirl account on Instagram, it stands for women in real life and is very, very funny. X #bestandworst
Sophie P
May 29, 2015 at 7:33 am
So very true! I don't think it gets to me, but psychologically it prob does a bit!! #binkylinky xx
Leandra Bramham
May 29, 2015 at 7:50 am
Very true, I'm also guilty of cropping out mess sometimes, not because of what others think, but I don't want to be reminded 😉 #binkylinky xx
Sarah
May 29, 2015 at 8:51 am
Great post. So very true!! #PoCoLo
Catriona S
May 29, 2015 at 10:03 am
Great post. I'm guilty of kicking the clutter aside when taking a photo, but if I were having a visitor I'd hide it all away. I picture doesn't have to be perfect for me to post it to social media, but I do like to share the happy times, when I get down days I look back on them and it's a nice reminder for me. xx
rachel_bitmead
May 29, 2015 at 10:24 am
Couldn't agree with you more. I have been known to push things aside for a clear picture because my 4 year old has got quite a few toys out and is now elsewhere making a mess! I think we are all probably guilty of that (i hope it's not just me!) #PoCoLo
Talya Stone
May 29, 2015 at 12:52 pm
Yes! I wrote about this in a similar vein a while back…social media does make everything look as if it's perfect and we have to keep on reminding ourselves IT IS NOT. You can take a peek here if you're interested to have a squiz:
Ashley Beolens
May 29, 2015 at 1:00 pm
I'm starting to loath social media for many, many reasons, especially the falsehood of perfect parenting, if I wasn't a) addicted and b) in need of using them for blog promotion I think I'd quit using them.
Random Musings
May 29, 2015 at 2:25 pm
Totally agree! When you see the perfect family sitting down to dinner try to remember the other 364 days when baby threw food all over, toddler refused to eat, teenager sulked and mum and dad had an argument! They say every picture tells a story. Sometimes the best stories are the ones no one wants to take a picture of! Thanks for hosting the #binkylinky
Debbie (My Random Musings)
Laura Powell-Corbett
June 1, 2015 at 5:21 pm
Completely agree! People only post what they want you to see. This also makes me worried as some people hide behind it and get no support or help as their life appears perfect. At least if you come to my house you can be sure you'll stand on at least 27 squashed raisins
Thanks for linking with #effitfriday
Fionnuala
June 26, 2015 at 7:58 am
Yep, that's the trouble. You can be totally selective in what you post, can't you?
#effitFriday
Fionnuala from http://www.threesonslater.blogspot.com
Michelle Ordever
July 15, 2015 at 2:38 pm
I'm so glad that the internet and social media wasn't around when my son was a baby/toddler/young child, I may well have gone batty!