Mom Wisdom in the Digital Age

I would imagine when my mom and grandmothers had young children, other moms acted as the source of truth. Or maybe a trusted professional such as a doctor or school teacher. The information may not have been high quality, or even accurate, but it was accomplished with a small amount of transactions. The limited supply meant people had to trust, seek out alternative options, or maybe even (gasp!) make connections with more people.

In those days, internet wasn’t around. Phone calls were expensive. Social media maybe existed in science fiction, but certainly not in real life. As for photos, those were also largely inaccessible. Most people didn’t have cameras. If they did, the camera needed to be focused manually and developing film took time. In short, nothing was instant.

Now we live in an abundance of information. Mom “wisdom” abounds in so many forms it’s hard to know which one to trust or seek out first. Moms these days can take their pick of following other moms on social media of their choice. They can join “mom” groups or search on the internet for millions of options about anything related to their kids. While there is “something for everyone”, it can be difficult to discern what that something should be, and even if it’s valuable. I mean, if it’s for your kid, you probably want something high quality, accurate, and reliable. It should also be instant and in bite-size amounts for easy consumption.

Not to mention, all these manicured postings depicting something unrealistic and unobtainable, have the potential to amplify competition and mom-shaming. It’s hard to know where to turn, who to trust, or a good starting place.

With mother’s day here, I would encourage the moms out there to get back to the basics when it comes to information sources. Start small and meaningful. Ask moms you know, including your own! They are a fountain of valuable wisdom and insights, ingenuity, crafty problem solving, and innovation. Mom hacks are real and often very useful. Even if you don’t agree with everything, it’s a solid starting point founded on something other than random internet searching.

You’re doing a great job! In fact, you’re probably doing a better job than you think. Now that’s something you won’t hear often from internet searches, but you can hear from real life connections.

Happy Mother’s Day!