Great, thoughtful article Kathryn. One of the reasons I deleted social media from my phone is because of the targeted ads and reels aimed at me, particularly as a mother. They aim to hook me, transition me into a buyer/consumer, and ultimately take me away from what truly matters in my time.
Loved this. So over all the noise out there. And I love how you highlight that so many are just trends. Things that come and go. We shouldn’t be outsourcing the way we parent to the current trend!
Also, all those mini celebrations just make me feel so gross. It all just revolves around spending money and showing people you’ve spend money. Most of these little celebrations are not actually for the children, they are for content
Outsourcing is exactly what it is! And yes the mini-celebrations--I couldn't believe it, but really I can because that is how trends work, we have to keep creating for things to be new.
I love this piece Kathryn. To me it reads as a suggestion to move from following trends to clarifying your personal and family values (and following those, instead). Not easy to do, but it really can be life changing if you try.
This is pretty much why I ignore most “trends” or try to. It’s like chasing the horizon. You’re never going to be able to keep up. It’s not to say I don’t fall for some of them, but I try to catch myself and check in (like you suggest) before going too deep.
Yes for me, sometimes my distraction by the daily chaos helps because to be honest I feel like I don't hear about trends until they are on their way out. But I find just to have a reminder to check in is really helpful.
Thank you for this piece - very insightful. It is easy to get caught up in all of this and then I think a lot about my grandmother, with eight children, and what she would think of a "first tooth party." She would probably laugh and say I prepared and served three meals for ten people everyday like a caterer...how's that for party?
Hello Kathryn. I am so grateful for you reading Raising Hell, Living Well and sharing what impacted you to your audience. I see beauty, wellness, and parenting culture as three of the most pervasive influencing us in the most insidious ways. Really happy to see this here....even if I am a week late because I have my notifications turned off :)
It was my pleasure--I find your work very helpful. I see so many parallels between wellness and beauty culture and parenting right now. It's so helpful to take a step back and a couple to the side to think about what's going on here. There is so much more to dive in to, thank you for your work.
I can absolutely relate to throwing out all the playbooks. And breaks are vital. I think you do what you need to do for your family and you are the expert. I totally agree, it's time to throw away mothers have to do X!
Great, thoughtful article Kathryn. One of the reasons I deleted social media from my phone is because of the targeted ads and reels aimed at me, particularly as a mother. They aim to hook me, transition me into a buyer/consumer, and ultimately take me away from what truly matters in my time.
Yes, I have really pulled back from social media too. It is so helpful to have the distance.
Loved this. So over all the noise out there. And I love how you highlight that so many are just trends. Things that come and go. We shouldn’t be outsourcing the way we parent to the current trend!
Also, all those mini celebrations just make me feel so gross. It all just revolves around spending money and showing people you’ve spend money. Most of these little celebrations are not actually for the children, they are for content
Outsourcing is exactly what it is! And yes the mini-celebrations--I couldn't believe it, but really I can because that is how trends work, we have to keep creating for things to be new.
I love this piece Kathryn. To me it reads as a suggestion to move from following trends to clarifying your personal and family values (and following those, instead). Not easy to do, but it really can be life changing if you try.
Thank you Yael! Values are such an important part of being able to navigate all the noise.
This is pretty much why I ignore most “trends” or try to. It’s like chasing the horizon. You’re never going to be able to keep up. It’s not to say I don’t fall for some of them, but I try to catch myself and check in (like you suggest) before going too deep.
Yes for me, sometimes my distraction by the daily chaos helps because to be honest I feel like I don't hear about trends until they are on their way out. But I find just to have a reminder to check in is really helpful.
Thank you for this piece - very insightful. It is easy to get caught up in all of this and then I think a lot about my grandmother, with eight children, and what she would think of a "first tooth party." She would probably laugh and say I prepared and served three meals for ten people everyday like a caterer...how's that for party?
Oh my goodness, I would love to imagine what my grandmother would say, having been a child in the Depression, it would be absurd to her.
Hello Kathryn. I am so grateful for you reading Raising Hell, Living Well and sharing what impacted you to your audience. I see beauty, wellness, and parenting culture as three of the most pervasive influencing us in the most insidious ways. Really happy to see this here....even if I am a week late because I have my notifications turned off :)
It was my pleasure--I find your work very helpful. I see so many parallels between wellness and beauty culture and parenting right now. It's so helpful to take a step back and a couple to the side to think about what's going on here. There is so much more to dive in to, thank you for your work.
Such a great piece Kathryn!
Thank you Emily!
I can absolutely relate to throwing out all the playbooks. And breaks are vital. I think you do what you need to do for your family and you are the expert. I totally agree, it's time to throw away mothers have to do X!