Overcoming Societal Pressures on Becoming a Mother
Those scenes in movies and TV shows where a mother forces her daughter to get married and have children are all too familiar. “You’re not getting any younger, you know,” or “All I want is to be a grandmother. I don’t care if you’re still young.” “What are you hiding from me? I want to know!”
These kinds of scenes never fail to amuse. In other words, unless, of course, you live these scenes in real life! Sadly, many women experience this every day. If their mother doesn’t put pressure on them to have children, their sister or female friends usually do. However, this kind of pressure is doing more harm than good.
Motherhood isn’t for everyone.
As a life coach, I’ve heard a wide range of stories about how people’s mothers have impacted them. It’s true that mothers are only human, and even the best of them will make mistakes from time to time.
In contrast, I’ve heard far too many stories of mothers who didn’t seem to enjoy being a mother in any way whatsoever. When I work with a particular client, I’ve heard a lot of heartbreaking stories about his childhood and his mother, who always seemed depressed and angry. When it came to spending time with him or his siblings, she was never really “into” playing with them or spending much time with them. As a result, she made my client feel as though she had to give up a wonderful life in order to have children.
It’s a fact that not all women are made to be mothers. Only a small percentage of women are capable of it. In the past, women had no choice but to follow the traditional path and marry and have two, three, or more children, which was the norm. However, times have changed and women now have a say in what kind of life they want to lead.
Forcing women into a specific life path based on society’s definition of what constitutes “the right” path is simply wrong. That’s all it does is create broken families.
The Benefits of Conferring with Another Person
Friends and family may be pressuring you to start a family because you’re “of a certain age.” Take a deep breath. With the right support, you can make the best decisions for your own well-being. A therapist can assist you in identifying your specific needs. To ensure that your wants and needs are being met, he or she can assist you in setting up boundaries with others.
To arrange a meeting, please get in touch with me.
SOURCES:
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/in-flux/201404/becoming-mother
- https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/april-salchert/the-social-pressure-of-experiencing-motherhood_b_1851544.html
- https://drregev.com/blog/the-myth-of-motherhood-the-way-unrealistic-social-expectations-of-mothers-shape-their-experience/