A viral post is offering a powerful message about judgment.
On March 9, Ohio-based mom Ashle Potter posted a message that’s been making the rounds on social media over the years.
“To the mom who’s breastfeeding: Way to go! It really is an amazing gift to give your baby, for any amount of time that you can manage! You’re a good mom,” the post begins.
“To the mom who’s formula feeding: Isn’t science amazing? To think there was a time when a baby with a mother who couldn’t produce enough would suffer, but now? Better living through chemistry! You’re a good mom,” it continues.
The rest of the post offers similar messages to moms who use cloth and disposable diapers, stay-at-home and working moms, and mothers who always cook nutritious meals for their kids and those who are sometimes too worn out and opt for the drive-thru window.
The last pair addresses another familiar set of scenarios.
“To the mom with the kids who are sitting quietly and using their manners in the fancy restaurant: Kudos, it takes a lot to maintain order with children in a place where they can’t run around. You’re a good mom,” the post reads.
“To the mom with the toddler having a meltdown in the cereal aisle: they always seem to pick the most embarrassing places to lose their minds don’t they? We’ve all been through it. You’re a good mom,” it adds.
The post concludes, “To the moms who judge other moms for ANY of the above? Glass houses, friend. Glass houses.”
Potter’s Facebook post has received over 62,000 likes. The popular page, Love What Matters, shared it as well, and that post reached over 38,000 likes.
Many people commented on the Love What Matters post with their own additions to the message, like a version for C-section mamas and those who gave birth vaginally.
Potter added #repost to the bottom of her post, as she did not know the original source of the text. She told Scary Mommy she thinks she first saw it on Pinterest, where there are several quote graphics using the words.
Indeed, this message has been going around various parenting pages and groups on Facebook since at least 2013.
Scary Mommy traced it back to a post from almost four years ago on the Facebook page for the blog, Beautifully BellaFaith. The blogger wrote in the comments that she came across it on the Team Toddler page.
Whoever the unknown author may be, it’s clear that these words have made an impact on parents around the world. Let’s stop the judging and mom-shaming and instead celebrate all the exhausted parents doing the best they can.
