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Weeks after JP Moms reportedly drove a mom to the 'burbs, Twitter Moms are massacring a Motrin ad with their tweets. Jessica Gottlieb started the fight, saying "I wore my baby while you got an MBA," which is apparently supposed to be some kind of insult, though we'd rather get an MBA than wear a baby. MotrinMoms has now eclipsed Obama (sooo passe now that he's elected) as the biggest search on Twitter. The MM tweets are a mix of support and outrage, but there was enough outrage mixed in to make Motrin apologize for the ad and pull it from future use.
Moms have long been online—even the Globe has caught on to that fact—but their impact seems to be growing, even as the "mommyblogger" groups seem to become more insular and irrelevant. After reacting negatively to the Motrin ad, Gottlieb went on to say, "I am the only one who can criticize my parenting," and even added, "Never before in history have mothers been so cruelly picked apart. Never before has every choice we’ve made been questioned, held up to ridicule and mocked."
We're pretty skeptical about the notion that nobody else can criticize what you decide to do with your kids. Sure, whether you carry your baby on your front, side, or back (or in your arms, or a stroller) is kind of up to you, but what about deciding to feed your children only McDonald's and Coke, or leaving them alone at night while you roam the streets of Boston? There are some acts that are up for criticism from any corner. Moms are wonderful, but not unassailable, and the MotrinMoms debacle is far from a historic event. Everyone's time would be better spent with their children than twittering about an advertisement (or, to be sure, blogging about twittering about an advertisement—fortunately, we don't have children).
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You can't wear a baby and get an MBA? Isn't the whole point of having the baby in a sling that your hands are free?
if it's not a My Baby Administration degree, moms don't want it!
Standing up against unfair slander for a choice that is NOT a fad, but an ancient world wide practice is a worth while way to spend my time.
Correcting the gross misconception that babywearing is painful, if it helps one mother or father find the bliss that comes from a happy well adjusted child while still being able to care for themselves, is worth my time.
I have taught countless parents and caregivers the art of babywearing and had so many come back to me with their thanks for helping them make it through some of the toughest times in a persons life.
And it is good that you don't have children, because chances are you would be one of those hands off parents with their baby left in a plastic bucket swing in the middle of the living room floor while you blog about injustices a world away yet committing one of the most gross forms of injustice there is. Neglect.
Yes, I totally plan to neglect my babies in favor of blogging. Truly, I cannot wait to create a new human being then ignore it in favor of typing away on my cheeto stained laptop.
Actually, that was one of the most baffling things about this whole kerfuffle. All my friends with kids barely have time to bathe themselves, much less protest commercials on the web. Maybe that's exactly what Motrin was counting on...
Is there really an art to babywearing? Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely thing that many people in my life have chosen, but I don't think it was all that difficult for them to figure out.