I read this article about a woman who loved reading Mormon mommy blogs. This woman said that she never wanted that kind of life, (making cupcakes, doing little crafts, arranging flowers, etc) but that she was addicted to reading about that life style. She made it sound like it was probably all fake and these Mormon mommies really weren't that happy but she liked reading it still the same. There were times while reading the blog when I wanted to pull my hair out and times that it touched my heart. She described herself as being an atheist and a feminist. She writes "Enter the Mormon bloggers, with their picture-perfect catalog lives. It is possible to be happy, they seem to whisper. We love our homes. We love our husband" "And if they help women like me envision a life in which marriage and motherhood could potentially be something other than a miserable, soul-destroying trap, I say, "Right on." I have read it a few times now and every time I do I come up with some different thoughts.
#1: We DO NOT sit around all day baking cup cakes, and arranging flowers! HELLO, we are mothers taking care of small little people who need constant attention.
#2:Being a mother is the most IMPORTANT and self-sacrificing and self-empowering job on the planet and if women around the world really do believe that feminist crap; that children will destroy your life and drag you down to the gulf of misery, they will end up being the most depressed and lonely 70 year olds on this earth
#3: MOST Mormon moms are just as educated as currier driven women, they just choose to put their time, energy and love into SOMEONE not SOMETHING.
#4: There are plenty of moms out their that are not Mormons and also love it; it's not just a Mormon thing!
#5: I feel so bad for the women it this world who have been raised with the thought that Motherhood and being a wife are the worst things that could happen to a woman. It breaks my heart, I just feel bad for them. To do something that is bigger than yourself (such as motherhood, being a wife) is more gratifying that getting a $10,000 pay check, I know! I know this one kinda goes with #5:)
#6: I think if a woman is drawn to reading other women’s lives on a daily basis then maybe there is something deeper in her that wants a life like theirs. I think she is afraid to except that she wants more to life than a corner office with a view.
#7: Life by all means isn’t “perfect” but I couldn’t get closer to perfect than I am now. As a stay at home mom of three and wife to an amazing man I can honestly say that my “simple” life makes me more happy than anything the world has to offer.
#8: I love that Mormon Mommy Bloggers have a voice and that it's a positive one. I love that women around the world can't get enough of what they have to say and what they have to share.
If you would like to read this article hear is the link. I would love to hear what you thought about the article!
14 comments:
I just read this article as well. I had very similar thoughts, though I thought her article was well written. I have to say, this whole feminist movement has become a farce. I'm obviously grateful for the opportunities it's given me such as a right to vote and the ability to gain an education and join the workforce in any arena I please. But...
Come on! The whole point was to give women an equal right to choose what they may...to have the life they choose with equal opportunities. And guess what? Some women choose motherhood and marriage and hearth and home. And it is horrific that that is the one choice that people can't respect. So sad. I don't think that's what Susan Anthony had in mind.
Thank you for letting me go on a tangent and now I am done. Love you and your perspective!
So I read all that...yes, we are happier than most, the gospel makes us that way. We also have our many ups and downs like everyone else BUT our downs are delt with a little better. We have prayer, families, and friends to help us get through the down times and not everyone has that. We laugh at a lot of things because that's all we can do. Since most of us stay at home or work part time we all experience similar things. Also as I reading it, I thought of the saying, "Be in the world but not of the world" These people are trying to keep up with the world and are very worldly.
Karen, I couldn't agree with you more:) Well put!
P.S. What is so wrong with loving your husband and thinking he is the best thing ever?
Women treat their husbands like crap and wonder why they don't want to come home to them. By loving our hubbies and treating them the way WE want to be treated makes a healthy environment for love to grow and respect to flourish. Therefor we REALLY DO LOVE OUR HUBBIES, WOW what a thought, lol!!! I see your point Katie, lol:)
I thought it was a very eye opening article. I enjoyed that this feminist women was silently admitting to her inner feeling and need to procreate, she just doesn't see it that way. We all know the truth.
MaRea
I'm not Mormon, I don't have a blog, and I have a job outside the home. That being said, I love my husband, I love to bake cupcakes on the weekend and I love to do crafts with my kids. I read all kinds of blogs, not just Mormon Mommy blogs. Mostly I like to know about other people, how they live their lives, what are they making for dinner (I am always in the same rut), how do they decorate their homes, what are some new fun things I can do with my kids etc. I agree with you, what is so wrong with loving your husband and kids? Being a mother and wife is the most important job, having a career is secondary to my life. And, why is being positive about your life a bad thing? Certainly we all have hard times and trials that we go through, but why live in the negative? I love to read positive blogs because it makes me feel more positive too.
Also, it bugged me that she lists all these bloggers by their full first names and gives the addresses of their blogs, but she refers to her friend only as "G" to protect her privacy.
I am a total lurker on your blog, but wanted to comment anyway. Hopefully you don't mind!
I read the article the other day too and was more shocked by the comments where people said that they thought the Mormon church was behind the blogs and that they were created by the church as a propaganda tool. Crazy. Like we have to invent fake lives to try to convince people that they can have happy, fulfilled lives being family centered.
Anonymous: Thanks for that thought, I loved that you shared your personal experience:)
Hmmm. Interesting article. As I read it the only thing that kept popping up in my mind is how true the gospel is! Every facet of the gospel is true. How grateful I am to know these things for myself. How perfect Heavenly Father's plan is for each individual. He knows what makes us happy and so teaches us how to become happy. What a loving, perfect person! It always amazes me how incredibly perfect the plan truly is.
On another note, I LOVE being a mother & wife and would not trade it to do anything else, but it does not take away the hard or challenging days either. What would life be without a few challenges? It would not be that perfect plan, so anyhoo, God is perfect and His plan is perfect if we will only choose to follow.
Thanks for putting into words some of my own thoughts after reading the same. It's not a sugar coated blog I write, it's real life, mine, but being able to wince, laugh and love it and share it is part of the fun.
Its a very interesting well written honest article from her.. I'm not religious and am happy, very happy... you know this:) However knowing the gospels lay out, family is the #1 principal that it teaches and with that I have nothing but respect for the gospel. Families are THE most important thing..we GET to have them forever... sadly there are women out there that have let the feminist movement take over, even in the church just as much.. we live with it daily on a personal level and its oh so frustrating.
I'll make cupcakes and dress my babies in GAP all day long before I would ever believe or think my babies or my husband are really cramping my style..
You are right.. if being addicted to happy, positive mommy blogs, whether its mormon or not.. I think is a good daily enlightening.
Thanks for the article.. Chris and I have talked about it daily since we saw it.. always interesting to see inside someones else's views.
Love you and your mommy/husband loving life!!!
i was intrigued by this article. i had many thoughts as i read. very interesting her view of "us" i guess you could say. the most important one i want to share is this:
we-are-making-a-difference!!! a positive one, and that is our mission, so just by living our lives the way we beleive is right and "journaling" about it we are sharing the gospel with those who don't have it in their lives. love it!! by small and simple things . . .
Very funny! I feel the same way you do--sometimes you get mad about the things she says because you don't like your TOUGH job of "baking cupcakes and taking care of kids all day" seem like it would be "the life" compared to a stressful job (I'll admit, I used to think the same way--before I had kids), but we know it's more than that and we're happy, and that's all that matters! It's kind of flattering to hear our lives presented that way and realize that, yeah, we do have it good!
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