Here’s something I don’t often talk about: I don't always know how to react to some of my friends’ status updates about parenting. Sometimes they’re clever, sometimes I can relate, and sometimes I gain a new piece of insight from one of them. But they can also be repetitive, emotionally charged, and to be honest, I’m often not always sure if I’m supposed to laugh or cry. Until I became a mom, these social posts from my mom friends were one of the best sources of information about I had what it’s really like to be a stay-at-home mom. But still, many of them painted a mysterious picture — and not in a Bob Ross, "happy trees" kind of way. It was more of an abstract, colorful, confusing kind of way. I mean, is my Facebook friend really joking about that diaper blowout or that flour explosion in the kitchen? Or is she seriously upset? I can’t tell. Maybe she can't even tell.
However, now that I’ve been there myself, I think it’s fair to say that the answer can, in fact, be both. It turns out that it is possible to joke about something upsetting, or frustrating, or plain absurd. Sometimes it’s more than just posting for the sake of posting (well, most of the time. I can’t speak for you, random school friend who posts pics of their kid's actual poop). Sometimes, motherhood feels silly and ridiculous and when you’re spending a major part of your day alone with a curious toddler, these feelings are magnified and it can feel great to share them.
Like the absurd things that go through my head when I’m laying on the floor next to a kiddo stacking blocks from the 28th time that day. At 9 a.m. Here’s a sampling of the highlights: