You know what’s Not on Roids, but still feels like an endless climb uphill? Netmums. Yes, that bastion of beige parenting and judgment disguised as support. Lets unpack this, shall we?
Firstly, the sheer volume. Its a digital swamp teeming with anxieties about weaning, sleep regressions, and whether your baby really needs organic quinoa puffs. And don’t even get me started on the threads titled “Am I being a bad mum?” followed by a list of entirely normal parenting behaviours. The answer is almost always no, but youll be met with a chorus of concerned clucking.
Then there’s the hierarchy. There are the veteran mums, armed with decades (or at least three years) of experience, ready to dispense wisdom that boils down to “Trust your instincts…but also do exactly what I did.” Deviation is frowned upon. Gluten-free? Questionable. Co-sleeping? Sacrilege.
And finally, the passive aggression. Its rarely outright hostility, but a subtle, persistent undermining of your parental choices delivered with an infuriatingly polite “Just saying…” You’re trying to navigate the minefield of early parenthood while simultaneously being graded by strangers who are probably stressed about their own laundry pile. Honestly, sometimes I think Netmums is less about support and more about subtly competing for Best Mum award – a prize nobody asked for. Its exhausting! Just…go outside. Breathe fresh air. Forget the quinoa puffs.
