Mom's viral post on society's expectations of working moms gets standing ovation on Facebook
Parents on Facebook are applauding a working mom for sharing what it feels like to juggle all the roles they're expected to play.
Sarah Buckley Friedberg of Needham, Massachusetts, posted her epic, 1,050-word rant on April 18, which garnered 17,000 shares.
"It was last Thursday and it was one of those days where everything seemed tough," Friedberg wrote in the post, "Society to working moms." "I got the kids to bed and was tired, frustrated, pumping and had a verbal dump of everything. I said, 'This is what's going on in my head.'"
Friedberg is mom to a 6-year-old, 3-year-old and 1-year-old. She enjoys writing and photography. She is also a full-time microbiology manager for a major medical device company, she told "Good Morning America."
Her husband, Michael, is a pediatrician and is a "fantastic partner." Friedberg has no complaints, she said, but the goal of her Facebook post was to point out the expectations she believes society has on mothers in particular -- whether they work outside the house, or stay home with their kids.
"If my husband takes on kid to the grocery store, he gets a parade. I take three kids to the grocery store and don't get [the same treatment]," she said, laughing. "It's just the way society is. He puts the kids to bed, cooks, cleans -- it's sort of the extra stuff that doesn't fall to him."
Friedberg began her Facebook post by addressing the mental and physical challenges of returning to work after childbirth writing, "Go back to work before you have finished healing or have had time to bond with your baby. Keep your mind on work, and not your tiny helpless baby that is being watched and cared for by someone other than you."
We have to prioritize and we do prioritize, but sometimes it gets to you.
Friedberg went on, "Make sure to break the glass ceiling and excel at your job- you can do anything a man can do! It is your job to show society this! Show the world that women can do it all. Rise to the top of your career. -Also breastfeed for at least a year. So take 2-3 pumping breaks a day at work, but don't let it throw you off your game or let you lose your focus."
In her post, Friedberg also notes the multiple roles and jobs that women have to play as a mom, employee, spouse, friend and even folkloric figures.
"Recycle. Be Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the birthday planner, the poop doula (seriously when will this end), the finder of lost things, the moderator of fights. Be fun. Be firm. Read books. Have dance parties," she writes.
Judging by the comments, Friedberg's words hit home for women who felt these realities are common and relatable -- many agreeing that the expectations are high, and the hats worn are arguably, far too many.
"Not only take a vacation....but WE are the one planning the vacations for the entire family also!" one mother wrote.
"I'm exhausted just reading it," another said.
"This reminds me of you!" a woman wrote, tagging a friend. "[You're] Wonder Woman!"
But not all the comments were friendly, Friedberg said.
"There's the 'Well, don't have kids then' comments, which is not helpful. It's a little late," Friedberg said. "Then there's the baby boomer generation saying, 'Just stay home.'"
"I think what they're missing is the increased cost of housing, the cost of schooling -- most families cannot survive on one income," she added "That's great if you can make it work, [but] I enjoy working. I enjoy having my career. It's just everything else we are expected to keep in the air."
Friedberg continued, "I was venting but also being humorous that there's not enough hours to do all these things. We have to prioritize and we do prioritize, but sometimes it gets to you."
Friedberg said the overwhelmingly positive feedback made her feel a sense of camaraderie.
And as for her advice to other working parents, Freidberg said to be honest with yourself and your loved ones on what you're capable of.
