Motherhood Doesn't Have To Be Boring

A couple of you have already written about Rebecca Eckler’s article, Motherhood is Boring, and I’ll add my ten cents.

In case you haven’t read it, the article talks about the “new wave of straight-talking feminists” who aren’t afraid to admit that motherhood is boring. They would rather hit happy hour than take their child to the park. Motherhood is "mind-numbing".

Now, as you know, I have nothing against happy hour, and though I have my own issues about being a stay-at-home mom, boredom is not one of them. Like many things, it’s all about what you make of it. Sure, if we sat around the house all day we’d both be bored. Instead, we go to our drop-in every morning, and the park almost every afternoon. There are usually plenty of people to talk to. It’s not boring. Reading the same book over and over? It’s the only time I get to cuddle my baby anymore—also not boring.

Of course, there are aspects of motherhood that become tedious. The same can be said of any work: meetings, commuting, email. That doesn’t make the work itself boring.

The thing is, I don’t need to be mentally stimulated every waking hour. There are many hours of the day that Cakes sleeps—plenty of time for me to read, write, and work on my studies. That’s enough for me. In fact, now that I’m spending so much time chilling out with my babe, when I do tackle something intellectual, I have more energy for it.

I spend most of my day doing things with my baby. That is what I signed up for. I didn’t have a baby to entertain myself. It’s my job to nurture, teach, and amuse her. She deserves nothing less.