There is always a lot of hype whenever a celebrity gets pregnant. The media follows her every move since the time she announces that she's gonna be the mom, up until the time she delivers her baby. But this fascination over celebrity motherhood doesn't stop there: every now and then an interview would crop up, which would update the public about how the celebrity is doing.
Imagine yourself - with your unkempt hair, baby vomit-stained shirt, baby on one arm, a basket full of dirty laundry on the other - just staring at the television, watching an interview of the celebrity mom. You wonder how in the world she manages to still look pretty and slim down in a matter of week. I bet you feel pretty awful about yourself right now.
But then, it doesn't stop there. When asked to share her experiences in motherhood, she says that it's been such a pleasure and that she loves spending time with her newborn baby. It's the usual: motherhood is so delightful and rewarding, the baby is an angel and she is looking forward to being a full-time mother while filming her next movie, promoting her new endorsement and saving the earth.
I've got nothing against celebrities, because they're people too. However, the pretty, smiling faces of celebrity moms make normal moms like you and me feel like a failure. Like they have this secret that we have no clue of. Like they've stumbled upon a magic formula for motherhood and they're so radiant it seems as if they eat heartily, sleep 8 hours a night and don't have post-pregnancy hormones surges which make them moody.
I'm all for promoting the joys of motherhood, but these celebrity moms set some kind of impossible standards that ordinary moms can't attain. They can make normal moms feel insecure and think, "Am I doing something wrong?" or "I'm doing everything I can, but I guess I still lack so much."
Listen up mothers - there's no magic formula for motherhood. Celebrity moms have make-up artists, stylists, nannies and assistants at their beck and call. Regular moms on the other hand, only have their husbands - and it is specially difficult for single moms like me, because we have nobody.
Instead of dwelling on things that are impossible to achieve, take pride and consider even the smallest things as successes. For one, whenever my sons sleeps through the night, I consider it an achievement. Successfully toilet training your children, teaching them how to eat on their own, watching their first steps become more satisfying because we know that although we don't have it easy, we still make do with what we have.
