What does being a mom mean? According to UrbanDictionary a mom is “The woman who loves you unconditionally from birth, the one who puts her kids before herself and the one who you can always count on above everyone else.”
Hmmm, so that definition is pretty demanding of us mothers out there. Putting our families needs before our own every day for years makes us tired. At times, we feel unappreciated. We lose our identities. We feel guilty. We can’t say no. We engage in nonsensical wars with each other, like stay-at-home moms versus working moms or breast feeding moms versus bottle moms.
Our day-to-day struggles may look different, but at the center of it all is our families. There is a lot of pressure on moms to be perfect. Whether its moms judging themselves, or outside forces like society, neighbors, churches or in-laws. No matter where the pressure originates, it exists and it just crushes our spirits.
Sarah Dunn, TV writer and producer, grew tired of feeling invisible and putting everyone else before herself. As a mom, she knew the struggle was real. She envisioned a TV show where the mom isn’t just a side kick character. She wanted to create a show using honesty and transparency about families, and feature the mom as the leading character in the story.
Sarah’s show is now ABC Televisions newest comedy AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE starring Katy Mixon. In the show stay-at-home mom, Katie Otto, is raising her family in an affluent town where ‘perfect moms’ drive her bonkers, and bring out her insecurities. The series is about how being a stay-at-home parent is hard, and it’s weekly story lines show how very important motherhood can be. In between the hard stuff are those awesome, priceless moments that make the struggle a worthy one.
So far, I really enjoy the show. It’s funny and I’ve had those “yep, been there done that” moments while watching it. Episode 102 airs tonight at 8:30/7:30c and It’s called “The Nap.” Yep, I felt like it was my story. Katie never seems to have a moment to herself. She’s woken by each one of her child while her husband sleeps soundly next to her. She’s exhausted, and meets up with her friends to vent. The friends decide that Katie needs some ‘her time,’ so she heads home to take a nap but her plans are sabotaged.
The role of mom is truly summed up in this episode. Katie eventually realizes that her kids need her and she has the most important job in the world – making sure that they turn out okay.
I visited the American Housewife set, and watched the taping of a scene. Every episode includes scenes of Katie and her friends supporting her. The creators of the show have this friendship dynamic right. I think that’s part of the reason mommy blogs became so popular. We all want to know that we aren’t alone. Others are going through similar struggles, or feeling what we were feeling. Camaraderie is crucial, especially for first-time moms.
Remember to be kind to yourself, make time for the things you love and don’t let anyone convince you that being a mom isn’t a hard job. Motherhood is one of the most important jobs you’ll ever have. Not every woman gets this title, and it is a blessing… the good, the bad and the ugly.
ABC has other awesome shows to watch including:
“The Middle”
“FRESH OFF THE BOAT” airs at 9/8c
“THE REAL O’NEALS” at 9:30/8:30c
* I attended an all-expense trip courtesy of ABC/Disney. Our opinions are our own.
