So I posted a rant yesterday to my mom's group. A pretty normal- self indulging 'omg I've had it today' type of thing. And, as the supportive comments came rolling in, it was observed by one of my friends 'L' I do believe- that 'What did our moms do back then?' Just kind of wallow in their daily lives if they had no one to vent to?
I wasn't saying anything spectacular- just how I've been overwhelmed lately- having the 3 under can be intense- but having ANY can be intense at times. What did our moms do? Who did they talk to? DID they talk about these things? They didn't have online forums. There was no Facebook status update to say 'Today Sucks' and have 20 of your friends empathize. No Twitter to tweet into the universe 'OMG If I hear..ONE MORE TIME...'...What about grandma? 'Those moms in Mad Men apparently drank and smoked their way through it'- pointed out J. But in all seriousness, how did they vent?
Our job is not easy- we care about our children to the point of exhaustion. We worry about what they eat/how they eat, their sleeping habits, friends, potty training (or lack thereof), preschools- really the list is endless. With all of this stress and overwhelming DO IT WOMAN kind of thing, how can we go it alone? How did they? I really, really have been wondering how my own mother survived the three of us with really no one to talk to. In fact, even if she did have someone to talk to about it she probably wouldn't. I don't think much 'sharing of feelings' was going on back then. And as for my father- well he worked. Period.
My mind even started to drift over to the mom with 7 kids living on the farm or in the mountains completely isolated. I am assuming that she just accepted that that was her fate and trudged along silently suffering from ppd or what have you. Strange period, no period? Feeling kind of psycho? Too bad, no Internet for you. Just sit there and go with your crazy self.
So..these are the thoughts I ended up having based on my own mom confessions with my group- proving once again they are a completely invaluable group of women and I credit my sanity to them.
Very moving post. You did bring up something I never really thought about. How did our "moms" deal with the stress back then? I don't know how I would be able to hand it all without the online support that I do. I give those women props, but in a way I feel sorry that they did not get the opportunity to find support online like you can today. <3 Big hugs!
ReplyDeleteI liked the comment I got from A about her grandmother(or someone in her family) who would be seen 'just going into the bathroom to sit with a towel over her head' at times. LOL!
ReplyDeleteVery good point, because really.. what did they do? My grandma's had some "issues" and maybe it was because she was isolated, alone ad had no one to talk to.
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