Being a Mom Can Be Painful. Really.

So, have you heard about the latest group of "offendeds?"

Once again, I'm bemused by the many people in the world who seem to find themselves offended by anything said by anybody. Mostly I try to dismiss these perpetual victims out of hand. But I ran across this article today about a group of baby-wearing moms who are highly offended because Motrin (a pain reliever) dared to suggest that wearing a baby in a sling/carrier could be painful for the mom. Duh!

I've got two kids. I love them more than anything in the world. Anything.

I tried to wear both of them in two different types of baby-carriers. Thank God neither of them wanted anything to do with it, b/c it was the most uncomfortable, painful thing going. There were a few people who told me I must "be doing it wrong," or that I "didn't buy the right" carrier.

Gee, it couldn't possibly be the fact that I had 20 lbs. of baby strapped to my torso, could it?

These were the same folks who'd "tsk-tsk" me for having no desire or inclination to breast feed, or let the kids sleep in my bed, or for wanting to go back to work as soon as I possibly could after maternity leave. In my experience, every one of the baby-wearing, breast-feeding, co-sleeping, attachment-parenting people who surmised that I just wasn't wearing my baby correctly also were the same people whose entire self-image was based upon being a mother and nothing else.

Guess what? Sometimes being a parent is no fun at all. Sometimes it stinks. Literally. Sometimes it hurts. Also literally. So to pretend that being an earth-mother is just one glorious experience after another--and to organize a boycott against Motrin for stating the obvious (strapping on an extra 20 lbs. might hurt your back)--well, methinks the lady doth protest too much.

Disclosure: I will take ibuprofen for almost anything--it is a miracle drug. While I am sufficiently offended by the price of a bottle of Motrin to buy the generic equivalent, I am not offended enough to campaign against Motrin. Between working, raising children and trying desperately to keep my garbage cans poop-free, it's just easier to give Motrin a pass and get on with my life.