Romper's New Video Series 'Bearing The Motherload' Bridges The Gap On What Divides Moms

For every piece of advice about the issues that matter most to moms, from how we feed our babies to how we put them to sleep, there’s a conflicting piece of advice. One expert says to potty train at 2, your mom swears that you potty trained yourself spontaneously at 3, and some lady in your Facebook group claims her child could communicate the need to poop and sit on a toilet at 6 months old. Or, another expert says making mud-pies alone in the backyard is beneficial for your child's independent play, your dad says you roamed the neighborhood alone in pre-school, and the internet wants to call Child Protective Services the moment your kid takes one forlorn look out of the window. With so many conflicting opinions, you need support! That’s why we're so excited to announce the launch of Bearing the Motherload, a new video series from Romper that works to bridge the gap on the topics that divide us as moms.

The series (the first episode is below!) explores the ways in which we can find common ground because, after all, each of us wants the same thing: to make the best decisions for our children, and for ourselves.

Each episode will dive into a hot topic that parents face in today’s world, featuring two moms who bring opposing perspectives and opinions to the table, along with a mediator (also a mom) and a pair of experts who will offer their own insight on the issue. The point isn’t to find the “right” answer, but instead to share information, ideas, and viewpoints — starting with our first episode that dives right into the conversations surrounding gender roles and kids.

Another episode, featuring a cultural expert, an educator, and two moms who don't see eye to eye, explores ear-piercing for babies. In another, two different moms will chat with a child security specialist and psychiatrist and discuss their takes on kids and social media. We’ve also got an episode on parenting styles (how much involvement is “too much” — and whose business is it anyway?), and one exploring an incredibly difficult aspect of being a mom today: our so-called "callout culture."

Let's be honest: The world is constantly trying to divide us into teams — Team Sleep Training and Team SAHM and Team Breast-Is-Best — but we understand that parenting is a much more fluid scene. In this age of smartphones and social media, our parenting techniques are more transparent than ever: we share our lives online and are judged in real time. Millennial moms spend over eight hours per day online primarily searching or browsing for parenting advice, and the vast majority (80 percent) feel pressure to be “perfect." That's a tricky combination.

It's why, perhaps now more than ever, we weigh every challenge we face as moms against competing viewpoints, but ultimately we need to discover what feels right for us. That requires an open conversation, and Bearing The Motherload aims to provide a space for that.

Since our birthday a little over two years ago, a core tenet of Romper has been inclusivity, and a respect for moms as the experts on their own children. What’s right for your baby might not be right for mine, and that’s OK. And what’s right for me as a mom, whether that’s the decision to breastfeed or to go back to work or let my toddler dye his hair pink, might not work for you and your situation, and that’s also OK.

We’re not all going to agree on all the things, all the time, but we can still respect and support one another — keeping our minds and hearts open to each other’s points of view. That’s how we can help each other to bear the motherload.

Check out Romper's new video series, Bearing The Motherload, where disagreeing parents from different sides of an issue sit down with a mediator and talk about how to support (and not judge) each other’s parenting perspectives. New episodes air Mondays on Facebook.