Mother's Facebook post on increasing demands of childcare resonates with parents across the world

It takes a village

(Facebook Constance Hall)

Being a mum is the hardest job in the world - and pressure from society may be making it even harder.

One Australian mum’s post highlighting the increasing pressures new mums face has gone viral - and it is resonating with other mothers who struggle to fulfil the expectations society has placed upon them - at the cost of time with their children.

Constance Hall shared the powerful message on her Facebook alongside a photo of herself playing with one of her children and has since received over 69,000 likes and 14,000 shares.

Captioning a photo of herself and one of her children playing, Hall asked, “What happens when we put too much pressure on mothers?”

“Once after having 1 child I asked my dad how on earth my nanna did it with 11?”

“My dad responded that she wasn’t giving half the pressures I was,” she continues.

Referring to the expectations new mums often face, such as losing baby weight quickly, returning to work, and maintaining perfect appearances, all the while taking care of their children, Hall’s post highlights how the demands placed on mothers have grown - and have impacted the time they spend with their children.

She wrote, “She didn't have to go to the bank, the supermarket everyday, she wasn't expected to look a million bucks straight after birth and she never put pressure on her kids to have reached all of their mile stones by the age of 3 weeks, have the house clean and own a thermomix.. She just hung out with her kids and enjoyed them.”

But now, mothers are faced with the pressure to “go to the gym, answer that email, pay that bill, cook that organic kale, blend it, get it into a patty so no one knows it's kale, get to the doctors.... The washing! Petrol in the car.... colour your god d** greys! Make the kids lunches cos if you order them again you will be JUDGED!”

Hall concludes the post, “Today I woke up with a desire to take a deep breath and let it all go, I don't really care about the new blinds I had ordered or making the house decent so that my mates don't think I've lost the plot. But I really care about my time with my kids and how they feel about themselves. And I'm not going to let outside pressures and "Super mum" ideals take that away from me.”

The honest post has received an outpouring of support from parents agreeing that their children are more important than any errands or emails.

Mums feel pressure from society to be perfect

Beki Clare Turner commented, “Beaut, mate! Because nobody’s ever going to say ‘I wish I’d spent more time cleaning and looking at my phone instead of playing with my kids.’”

Hall’s post has also encouraged other mums to reflect and share their own feelings about the pressures to fulfil the super-mum expectations.

Emily Cross commented, “This is so so true. I’ve been bashing myself up lately about all the things I "should" be doing, that I "shouldn't" be a stay at home mum. That I "should" be working, doing this, doing that. But why? Why can’t I be a stay at home and enjoy my bubba? Isn't that what motherhood is supposed to be about - mothering and nurturing and loving? Not keeping up with what the world has decided we should be doing?”

One mum wrote, “I love this con! Thank you!!! So often I can't wait for the kids to go to bed because I haven't enjoyed them because of the other million things I need to get done. Stuff the to do lists! Kids are way more fun than that stuff anyway!”

Commenters thanked Hall for her honest post

Another said, “Con, I love this... and I am guilty of not always being ‘present.’ Somehow us women have glamorised being busy. Often we tell ourselves to the benefit of our children, but is it?”

Here's to less kale and more quality time.