How Modern Moms Are Sidelining Their Village—And What They're Missing
“Don’t parent my child!” a mom influencer captions emphatically, replaying a scenario at a playground where a fellow parent had kindly reminded her child, “Careful, buddy!” as they tackled another child. On social media and with young mothers IRL, you’ll hear this sentiment echoed.
I can relate to this need for control. I left a 13-page printed booklet for my mom and mother-in-law when I went to the hospital to have my second baby, outlining my toddler’s schedule, food preferences, screen time policy, and who knows what else. (Small tip: If you need a table of contents for your babysitter, it might be too much!) They were gracious enough to refrain from laughing or rolling their eyes and accepted my dictionary with complete sobriety. As a new mom, I used to stiffen when my in-laws offered my 1-year-old daughter chocolate milk, suggested home remedies, offered anecdotes of how they handled parenting challenges, or bought her toys that I wouldn’t have picked.