Surely many other ideas go through your mind to defend (or remember with some longing) life without children, but the English humorist Ellie Taylor has not come up with anything else that pose asleep happily together a bottle of wine. It has been in the context of a kind of show that spreads on social networks in a "Motherhood Challenge" or "Maternity Challenge". But on the opposite side, of course, the defense of non-motherhood or life without children. And it looks like we like "wars" ...
According to the first challenge, some women "challenge" others to post photos or comment on what fills them with pride in being mothers. But of course, if this invitation comes to someone who has no children or plans to have them and also with enough guas, then, as a reaction, the opposite movement arises: the challenge of non-motherhood. In this side, supposedly, it is intended to avoid the "pressure" of society to have children, something that would be done by showing a too idealized image of that life with children in the "Motherhood Challenge" and understanding this as the only way to "normal" and "full" life.
But, I wonder, are they really such incompatible visions? Can't parents miss certain things in life without children? Will not advocates of non-motherhood envy something of families with children? It is clear that in this confrontation we will see very Manichean postures and taken to the extreme. Sometimes, as in the photographs of Ellie Taylor that has given rise to this reflection, even with doubtful taste. Your "challenge": put five photos that show how happy you are not to be a mother.
We recently brought a rather humorous vision of what life was like before having a baby and after. The thing changes, without a doubt, but not everything was good before nor everything that was was going to disappear in a stroke and forever after the arrival of the children.
However, if my only aspirations as "non-mother" were to sleep in a bottle, it would be quite sad and that is what emerges from this unfortunate image shared by Facebook comedian Ellie Taylor. I am sure that the girl has many other reasons (and better) to defend non-motherhood, so this image seems a bit banal and not very good taste.
He will have wanted to add humor to the matter (in fact, he hastened to comment, in response to criticism, that it was just a joke), but I don't find it funny, unlike the ingenious illustrations I've talked about before . That is, returning to the question of the title, could it be done better? Yes, of course, life could be defended without otherwise less unfortunate children. But it could also get worse, as seen in some comments, defending sculptural bodies without stretch marks (as if it were the only thing that mattered and as if they could not have after children).
Let's not fool ourselves. We would not change our children for anything, but we do miss some "prehistory" things: those long naps, that swirling in bed, a romantic dinner, a night cinema (and not cartoons!) Or a party until dawn…
Pretend that motherhood-paternity is perfect and idealize it yelling at the four winds may be what has driven this reaction against the "Motherhood Challenge", along with a feeling (I imagine) similar to 'what are you telling me about what is pride, happiness or normal'. But maybe "sleeping the monkey" next to a bottle of wine is not the inspiration of many people not to have children, even if you know. What is clearer is that the images have had repercussions and caused controversy. The success on Facebook is evident, since its publication has been shared more than 13,000 times and has more than 60,000 comments, although the reactions are diverse.
Many people join that defense of non-motherhood with photos climbing mountains, having a quiet drink in the pool or reading a book. Come on, which can be done with more or less taste, with more or less appropriate images. The key is not to offend each other, I think.
To you, What do you think about the way Ellie Taylor defends life without children? Are we, as on other occasions, in a war led to the absurd and meaningless? Is there an excess, too, in the demonstration of an idealized and publicly exposed motherhood as the only truth, the only happiness?
