(Motrin) Moms Make Babies, Use Internet

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).