About Sweetmama Editor
Nadine Silverthorne’s love of journaling began in Grade One with the entry, “I am the greatest dancer!” Two babies (and countless diaper changes) later, she has found her home away from home as editor of SweetMama. Don’t miss her humorous bi-weekly accounts of the joys and pains of working while raising them fabulous.
Mom Chatter the Sequel
silver spoons canada
(Jul.05.10)
Remember a short while ago, when I was all down on new mom talk? How I'd said I couldn't handle their sing-songy chatter? Well, something happened recently that put me in my place.
I was out at a Sex and the City event with my lovely colleagues and my sister Arlene as my date. I ran into a bunch of SweetMamas, whom I know professionally, but whom I look forward to seeing socially at events around town. We snapped some pics to post on Twitter, got all giggly about the movie premiere and then made plans to have drinks after the show. (Hey, if we're all out without kids, you bet we're going to try to turn it into a party.)
After the movie, my sister (who doesn't have kids) was discussing what would happen next. "I think I'm just going to go home. I'm not in the mood for Mom Talk."
"We're not ONLY going to talk about mom stu..." I paused as the realization halted my words. "Yeah, you're right. Go home."
When the mommies regrouped, my friend Erica asked where my sister had gone. "She went home," I replied. "She wasn't in the mood for Mom Talk."
Erica was not impressed. "That's lame." I felt bad at first, like I should stick up for moms. We're interesting! We have lots to say that doesn't revolve around our kids! But deep down I knew Arlene had a point. Like it or not, I knew with absolute certainty that the conversation would be dominated by one of three subjects:
1. Our kids.
2. Our mama media jobs and mom culture in general.
3. How much we love our mutual mama friends on Twitter.
So see, not really the environment for someone's non-mom sister to hang out in. Though, perhaps, if Arlene had joined us, we would have been more inclusive in our discourse. I don't know when I became THAT woman -- the one who talks about her kids 24/7, but I think it's inevitable that conversations with moms will veer in the direction of Mom Talk.
"Erica Ehm is mad at you," I texted from my phone. Her response?
"Hey! I go to kid's birthday parties!" (A direct line via Samantha Jones in the film.)
What do you think? Is Mom Talk an inevitable by-product of giving birth? How long can you last without talking about your kids?