I know not everyone reading this is a mother. But everyone reading this has a mother.
And the older I get, the more thankful I am for my own mother.
It seems every generation has its challenges to overcome, and as a pharmacist and owner of a small business, I often reflect on the challenges of entrepreneurship while parenting full-time.
My kids are now 24, 21, and 17, and learning how to parent them in each season of their life is a continuous growth experience for me.
That might be why the monologue by America Ferrera (Gloria in the Barbie movie) comes to mind when I consider the challenges of motherhood right now.
It is literally impossible to be a woman.
You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.
You have to be thin, but not too thin.
And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people.
You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.
But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.
You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.
I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.
To all of the mothers out there – I see you and I am with you!
And to all of you who are lucky enough to celebrate your mother tomorrow, please remind her that She is enough.
💚💜That’s the best gift you can give her.
