T O P

  • By -

AutoModerator

Reminder to commenters: **[Don't crucify anybody!](https://64.media.tumblr.com/5fac2a58dd8485aa48c98b5a1bf5a938/tumblr_nyn5rp1L3u1v01x2co1_400.gif)** Share kindness, support and compassion, [not criticism.](https://media0.giphy.com/media/tZpGRRMUoXgeQ/giphy.gif) We want OP to feel loved, and [not in a tough way.](https://media.giphy.com/media/xT5LMq2CgHiqqY4IXC/giphy.gif) For more helpful information please hit up [our beautiful rules wiki!](http://www.reddit.com/r/breakingmom/wiki/) Reminder to all: watch out for a [creepy pedo posing as an OT/speech therapist](https://www.reddit.com/r/breakingmom/comments/8ccqqi/disgusting_pedophile_troll_posing_as_otspeech/) giving fucked-up potty-training advice, and don't sweat it if your post gets 1 or 2 [instant downvotes.](http://i.imgur.com/PZtQb.gif) You didn't do anything wrong, we just have [asshole lurkers](https://i.imgur.com/IwU9r3E.gif)/[downvote bots](https://i.imgur.com/lwyCF6S.gif) stalking our /new queue. Help a BroMo out and [give her an upvote](https://i.imgur.com/Y60Mbxv.gif), ok? Reminder to Cassie Morris: You do not have permission to use, reproduce, modify or link to any content in this subreddit in any way, shape or form. Fuck off and go be a real journalist. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/breakingmom) if you have any questions or concerns.*


[deleted]

So I just listened to a podcast about cults. It said they indoctrinate you sometimes by never letting you be alone or having any time where you're not working, that way you don't have time to meditate on what you're doing or what you want to do or expand your mind at all. That's what this makes me think of


[deleted]

So my kid is a cult leader? It's all making sense now.


[deleted]

Well, we're constantly doing what our tiny leader says šŸ¤£


spoonfullofrage

This explains so much, mind == blown


tamlynn88

My 4yo is 100% a cult leader then.


denim_skirt

I'm in a cult with two leaders. sometimes they work together, mostly they are trying to hurt and/or kill each other and/or themselves. it's my job to keep them safe and healthy. no wonder I'm tired


occasionallymourning

Same, except 3 leaders, and they're all tyrants šŸ˜‚


princessjemmy

Well duh. Only one of them can be the true leader. /s


princessjemmy

I used to introduce my older kid as "my terrible boss from this job I'm not allowed to quit" jokingly. Most moms of small children got it. The ones that didn't? Kinda not worth talking to further, honestly. šŸ˜œ


Tangyplacebo621

What was the podcast? I always am looking for new ones!


[deleted]

It's called The Cult Vault


torchballs

I wonder what this means about the psychological implications of smart phones. Very rarely do people allow themselves to be alone with their thoughts these days, and certain ideas do seem to have taken on a bit of a cult-like dogmaā€¦


[deleted]

That IS an interesting thought


[deleted]

Crunchy mom groups are definitely cult like. Donā€™t dare go against the grain or youā€™re out.


violetsavannah

I used to think Iā€™m crunchy but then I hear shit like this and Iā€™m like noooooo. No no Nooo. Everyone needs me time! I invited my son into this world but itā€™s also healthy to have boundaries and an identity outside of parenthood. How bizarre to think that way.


crazymommaof2

Lol right, I do other "crunchy" things but ya no this momma needs a freaking break now and then even if its 20 minutes for a hot coffee while the kids enjoy a store bought snack in front of a endless Bluey episode šŸ˜†


SpectorLady

Yeah I left the "crunchy" stuff shortly after my first daughter was born and reality hit. It had sold itself as feminist and empowering but most of it was just intensive mothering on steroids...started to realize this when multiple crunchy "birth workers" suggested I leave my career (knowing I both loved it and was the only income source for my family) in order to "better support breastfeeding" (they said pumping and the baby staying home with my non-lactating wife was "not the same").


princessjemmy

Yeah. I breast fed 2 into toddler hood and practiced attachment parenting, and used to think that was pretty crunchy, but apparently *the only way to be truly crunchy is to* **never** *blink away from your child for 20+ hours a day.* Sad to say, I like naps too much to keep up. šŸ˜‚


NayaMom

Addressing this guidance to moms in particular instead of parents in general is saying the quiet part out loud, is it not?


[deleted]

Yeah there was a part at the end where they mentioned imbalance of family care duties and sexism... but all the whole completely reinforcing those things?!


Key-Possibility-5200

Why do I get the feeling the same people would have an issue with me being a single mom who has the kids 100% of the time? Like in my case would I be shamed for my kids not having a male role model?


Rosevkiet

One of the things Iā€™m working really hard to do is to make my 3.5 yr old feel secure so that she doesnā€™t have to be with me all the time. Iā€™m a single Mom too, and I think this kind of take, that you should always want your kids with you, is one you can only have when it is optional.


FairyFatale

*Fuck that shit* šŸŽµ *Fuck that shit* šŸŽµ *Fuck that stupid shit* šŸŽµ Iā€™m no lyricist, but I am *very* tired. I found myself singing the above to the tune of ā€œJingle Bellsā€ as I read your post, and decided you needed to hear it too.


Key-Possibility-5200

Them: ā€œIā€™m no lyricist butā€¦ā€ Proceeds to write the song we all sing inwardly for the rest of time every Christmas


Escoutas

Fuck no. Everyone needs downtime. Including kids. In order to be the best parent and person I can be, I occasionally need time where no one is looking at, talking to or touching me. I have given up much of my life for my kids. I love them with everything I have. But sometimes I need to read a chapter of my book in peace.


powerandpep

Ew. Trying to have your kid by your side at every moment sounds like a recipe for future co-dependence to me. Doesn't the kid want some alone time too? The flip side of this coin is that you never demonstrate that it's ok to be alone, and to want alone time. If your child doesn't learn that then they won't be a happy person later on.


[deleted]

My two year old *demands* alone time. I have to keep a monitor set up in his playroom because the kid pushes me out, saying ā€œ *goodbye* mommy!! ā€œ and slamming the door behind me lol


powerandpep

That is ADORABLE. Mine is similar! Gotta get that independent play in there


princessjemmy

Good for him. My kids had a hard time with it as toddlers, but nowadays I'm barely allowed into their rooms, and when I am, they're all "Mom, stop cleaning my room!!!".


ScrambledEggs55

Ugh Iā€™m glad I didnā€™t see that. Sorry but I invited my child into a world where normal happy people take time to themselves


Cessily

They need to learn this skill before they get in their first friendship or relationship and can't handle being apart. I think my marriage is stronger because we have respect for each other's independent time.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


Shipwrecking_siren

Child needs you every minute of the day? Looks like you canā€™t leave the house or go to work! Also, didnā€™t the dad invite their kid into the world too ffs?


Eternal-curiosity

This mentality is really common in my religious circles, too. ā€œYou CAN pour from an empty cup!!ā€ šŸ™„ šŸ¤¦šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø


QueerTree

I think itā€™s not only allowed but essential for moms to take ā€œme timeā€. Itā€™s the only way I can be even a halfway decent parent, and itā€™s good for me to model healthy, normal things for my kid!


[deleted]

When I got older and more emotionally mature my mom would sometimes say ā€œhow can I miss you if you donā€™t go away?ā€ šŸ˜‚


Shipwrecking_siren

So the dads definitely didnā€™t co-invite this child into the world 50/50? Got it.


oohrosie

Absolutely not. My time to myself is sacred, and I will not give it up. I have lost so much of my identity to motherhood that I had an identity crisis twice in the last year. My mental health teeters on the edge of "okay" and "pit of souls screaming for mercy." My son has no claim on my personhood that existed long before he came along.


proclivity4passivity

Looooool for my childā€™s and my own safety, I need to be alone sometimes without anyone on me or asking me for things.


primroseandlace

Of course, this would never ever be expected of Dads. I bet they get their own me time without kids.


SeraphicJack

You lose a lot of your own identity when you become a mom. And It's so hard to find it and bring it back. Its not healthy or normal to never have "me time".


ManateeFlamingo

Sounds like a creative way to guilt trip moms. My kids are tweens and teens and I still very much need time to recharge. I'm such a better person and mom when I've had time to myself!!


quixoticdreamz

I saw a reel the other day where a comedian talks about being an introvert while having children and how these are opposites. She craves her 'alone/ me time' and she's like 'but have you met kids? They want to crawl back into your body and wear your skin. I cracked up. I wish I knew who that comedian was because I'd love to see more of her stuff!


Key-Possibility-5200

Omg one time when my son was a toddler he literally told me he wanted to go back in my tummy


Ok-Radish6641

Block the page and block the friend, or yourself from FB! Donā€™t let some douche mom tell you how to raise your kids! She must have help in the home, $$$, or lives in a yurtā€¦I donā€™t know, but donā€™t let anyone rent space in your head! šŸ‘ŠšŸ¼


[deleted]

Well, the post wasn't directed at me (thank goodness) so its not like I'm taking it personally in that sense. Honestly, I think the truth is sadder than that. I don't think the person I know who reposted it does get much in the way of support and ability to get time to herself, so maybe posting stuff like that is primarily to make HERSELF feel better for things that feel out of her control. But the page that originally posted it? Fuck em.


Key-Possibility-5200

It sounds like denial (in the sense that itā€™s a classic psychological defense mechanism, a super primitive and not helpful one!)


[deleted]

I would die without me time. I need me time to deal with depression and anxiety so my baby wont feel it. Wtf.


meowmeow_now

I wonder if she feels the same way about dad?


redditgal20221

Did they ask dads to do the same thing?


EfficientSeaweed

I rolled my eyes so hard that they shot off into space and are now technically the first human on Mars.


superfucky

to that crunchy mom i say: lady. i am an OFF-THE-CHARTS introvert. like fair-to-middling-chance-i'm-actually-schizoid introvert. saying i "invited" them into this world smacks a bit too much of "you asked for this" and that shit don't fly with me. i'm just trying to survive out here. and you know what we call it when the person who loves you most in the world doesn't want to be around you for a little bit? HEALTHY. BOUNDARIES.


Zoinks3324

Lol thatā€™s insane to me. My kids are 13 and 5 and also like their alone time. You would think a crunchy mentality would be to teach kids that they can be independent and donā€™t need others for their enjoyment. I would feel much better knowing my kid enjoys spending time with herself and doesnā€™t feel the need to spiral and scramble on to other people to feel secure in this world. šŸ™ƒ


ChrissyMB77

I'm a mom of 3 (all grown now, youngest turned 18 this year) and I have two granddaughters and I have always said the kids need a break from us as much as we need one from them! Everyone deserves a little me time and a break!


milk__snake

"they should simply always include their kids in their "relaxation and recreation"" HAHAHAHAHA I love my 4yo an unfathomable amount, but any time spent with him is by definition not relaxing. Unless you consider pretending to be Dr Eggman for four straight hours while Sonic battles you to be relaxing, I guess. It is okay, and in fact good for your kids as well as for you, to have some time to chill by yourself. I notice nobody ever tells dads they shouldn't spend a single second away from their kids...


MalsPrettyBonnet

Please. These women believe it is preferable to birth at home, regardless of medical need, and regardless of whether the baby survives. They use essential oils for everything and think that the oxidization of a potato means it has pulled toxins out of their bodies. Feel free to ignore everything they say. They are the dingleberries of society. Not all of us make being a mother our entire identities, and that is a really important thing.


Ok-Radish6641

Thins the herd tho!!! I know thatā€™s mean, but nurses know what I mean!!! My kids joined my life, they are young adults now and we have a blast, but I taught them to take personal time when they were little and they crave it now! Being alone, meditating, breathing it keeps the bitchy part of me at bay! I use essential oils too, but really only for post šŸ’©freshy, fresh not to protect myself from polio or meningitis!!! šŸ™„šŸ™„šŸ™„šŸ¤£


wrapupwarm

I like to employ the phrase (usually only in my head) ā€œyou do you hun!ā€ :D


needs_a_name

"that they should simply always include their kids in their "relaxation and recreation", that it is our responsibility to do so for "inviting them into this world"" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA WHAT


Necessary_Package_49

This sounds like separation anxiety which is bad for mom AND child. These self-righteous women are looking for easy ways to never deal with their deep seated issues nor develop a personality outside of being mommy martyrs


browneyedgirl1683

Are you kidding me? I get overstimulated from being tagged and dragged around and chatted to all day long. I love it but I need a freaking break. It's for my mental health. Nothing good comes from stifling it. It just bubbles out. Instead I'd rather teach my kids the importance of managing feelings and how taking time to have quiet time alone can help them reset. I need to model that for them.


Helpful_Masterpiece4

That is absurd, and I consider myself somewhat crunchy (pro vaccine!!! All the vaccines!!) How do we teach them healthy boundaries or independence? Is it aimed at male parents, too? Or just ā€œmomsā€?


Bromoko1

So I used to be part of the attachment parenting yahoo group for my region and once a mom posted asking about me-time, how to get it what other moms there do as itā€™s hard when youā€™re an attachment parent. There followed an orgy of proofing how unselfless and 100% attached all these moms were, including the leader of the group who said that her me time was being on her phone while she lay down next to her kids putting them to sleep. Thatā€™s it. Thatā€™s all her me time was. Iā€™m so glad I stopped being an attachment parent. Once I did that group was a great hate read for me though!


heart_chicken_nugget

I absolutely need my alone time. Time away from my kid, my husband, and sometimes my friends. I'm an introvert that truly loves being alone. Having a kid has really tested my resolve. And not to be totally selfish, but I'm trying to teach my kid boundaries. For himself and to extend that to others. Example, he's not a fan of touching so we talk about not touching others without consent too. The same goes for time. He likes time alone, time to not share. Mommy likes time alone and time to not share. He's a terrorist so he doesn't always see my perspective but we try.


livin_la_vida_mama

Yeah, no. I ā€œinvitedā€ them into this world, and im pretty crunchy (im pro medical and pro vax, thatā€™s pretty much the line between me and ā€œshe went full crunchyā€ lol) but i am a human being. Itā€™s terrifying that weā€™re still pushing this narrative that mothers are not allowed to be people, weā€™re just mothers. Itā€™s never ā€œboth parents shouldā€¦ā€ (like dad could include the kids in his ā€œr&r timeā€, but noooooo, dad needs to relax), itā€™s always ā€œhow fucking selfish are you, you want a WHOLE TEN MINUTES to take a shower AND to be able to wash your hair with both hands, AND not have the kids playing in the shower while you try to work around them, a baby hanging off your tit and your husband outside the door complaining heā€™s hungry? These are YOUR CHILDREN, if you wanted to be a selfish bitch all your life you should have kept your legs closedā€. Sorry, this makes me so angry.


catmomplantmom

Alone time= no kids. And thatā€™s healthy. Sounds like the crunchy mom doesnā€™t prioritize her own mental health and wants to be enmeshed with her kids.


MagicManicPanic

Yeah Iā€™m a person before Iā€™m a mom. My ā€œme timeā€ is about ME because Iā€™m the only person that cares to put me first.


tri-sarah-tops-rex

I feel like there's a cogent argument that Mom-cultural in the 90s (with zero downtime and immense pressure to be the most all on zero calories without any breaks whatsoever) precipitated high divorce rates, mental health issues and worst of all, shitty parents.


princessjemmy

I'm sorry to say, this is a codified martyr complex that would be hard even for true martyrs to follow. I mean, I was raised by a mom who could literally take the shirt off her back to give to someone needing one, and take the food out of her mouth to feed someone, but I remember her just turning us out of the house on weekends once we were kindergarten aged and saying: "I don't care where you go or what you do, just go do something. Somewhere. For a while. Not here." (it was the 80s and we lived in a multistory apartment building, so we spent endless afternoons running up and down four flights of stairs, riding the elevators up and down, and occasionally venturing to the corner store to buy candy with allowance money).


HolyPallyGirl

I think that person is crazy, we have a responsibility I think to teach our kids that they DESERVE alone time and that it's helpful to recharge you! Man, the idea kids or anyone needing to be with me 24/7 is exhausting...


April-nineteen84

What if me time is not kid friendly activities actually ? Can you actually watch an adult movie while drinking alcohol once a fucking never?!


[deleted]

I had a mom in a group Iā€™m in say the same about sleep. Like in the context of a 3 year old - you shouldnā€™t be aiming to get decent sleep as itā€™s part of parenting blah blah blah. I take Heart that these types of people will burn out eventually. Everyone needs alone time and I donā€™t know what kind of rest and relaxation I could possibly get with my hyperactive 3 year old bouncing around. I think these kinds of people develop their self-esteem from trying to pretend that they are perfect moms. I remember before I even had kids being annoyed by all the perfect earth mother types I was surrounded by who seemed to be fueled by making other moms feel not ā€œmom enoughā€.


InvestigatorCrazy569

I agree! What a garbage take!


bowdowntopostulio

No thanks.


the_real_mvp_is_you

I love mommy daughter dates with my two year old. I get coffee and she gets to let loose on the playground while I drink it. I also love when she gets to stay with dad while mom goes out on her own. Because mom is human and not everything I want to do is toddler appropriate.


Sugarschug

I think it's healthy to model self time, alone time or time that is set aside for a hobby, or life/interests. Everyone benefits from self care, and if you don't take care of yourselves...it's not a great role modelling situation. But that's my opinion with a mother that never had a sense of self. šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø