June Cleaver Wasn't Real
I blame it on June Cleaver. That picture-perfect mom who vacuumed in pearls and put up with Eddie Haskell’s crap without losing her temper. The moment that June came on the scene, women all over the country decided that’s how moms were supposed to be…all the time. The standard was set and then women began to be judged based on how they compared to June.
It’s ridiculous, this Madonna complex we have, this “Junification” of the modern woman. How else can we explain sites like True Mom Confessions where women clandestinely go to divulge their deepest, darkest secrets like “My kids would probably find me less embarrassing if I was a flaming clown.”
Girls, we have to start talking to each other and we have to start being a little bit honest AND accepting. I don’t mean to dump on men, but I’m pretty sure it’s not that way with them. There aren’t a group of dads standing watching a basketball game whispering to each other: “Can you believe he didn’t teach his kid how to set a pick?!”
We women are so freaking catty. We stand on playgrounds and in grocery stores aisles and on street corners and whisper to each other because Betty Sue allowed little Madison to go to school with a wrinkled shirt – gasp! We’re afraid to admit that when we make treats for our kids’ classrooms, sometimes we buy them at the store (slacker!) and then throw away the packaging so that they look homemade.
We’d rather go without sleep than drive the carpool in our pajamas even though our youngest was up most of the night projectile vomiting.
I think it’s time we call a truce, fess up and give each other a break. I’ll start. I hate ironing. It bores me to tears and I can never iron well enough. I go out of my way to never purchase clothes that need to be ironed. Never. Oh and my closets are a mess. Suffice it to say that opening one can be hazardous. I lose my temper...a lot. I sometimes say unkind things to my kids and husband. I'm a terrible cook.
I know, it’s not much. It’s not a sordid affair or cheating on taxes. But it’s me and it’s OK. What about you?
It’s ridiculous, this Madonna complex we have, this “Junification” of the modern woman. How else can we explain sites like True Mom Confessions where women clandestinely go to divulge their deepest, darkest secrets like “My kids would probably find me less embarrassing if I was a flaming clown.”
Girls, we have to start talking to each other and we have to start being a little bit honest AND accepting. I don’t mean to dump on men, but I’m pretty sure it’s not that way with them. There aren’t a group of dads standing watching a basketball game whispering to each other: “Can you believe he didn’t teach his kid how to set a pick?!”
We women are so freaking catty. We stand on playgrounds and in grocery stores aisles and on street corners and whisper to each other because Betty Sue allowed little Madison to go to school with a wrinkled shirt – gasp! We’re afraid to admit that when we make treats for our kids’ classrooms, sometimes we buy them at the store (slacker!) and then throw away the packaging so that they look homemade.
We’d rather go without sleep than drive the carpool in our pajamas even though our youngest was up most of the night projectile vomiting.
I think it’s time we call a truce, fess up and give each other a break. I’ll start. I hate ironing. It bores me to tears and I can never iron well enough. I go out of my way to never purchase clothes that need to be ironed. Never. Oh and my closets are a mess. Suffice it to say that opening one can be hazardous. I lose my temper...a lot. I sometimes say unkind things to my kids and husband. I'm a terrible cook.
I know, it’s not much. It’s not a sordid affair or cheating on taxes. But it’s me and it’s OK. What about you?
posted by Karen @ 9:40 AM
10 Comments:
I hate to cook. I admit that I can be hard on my kids sometimes. Sometimes I need to have a time-out!! June C. is just a TV character-not real. Who wants to walk around in an apron all day?
Hi, Michele sent me. I always had more guy friends than girl friends for that same reson - and it seems my oldest daughter is following suit.
My confessions? I absolutely detest dinner time. And I yell - I feel horrible about it, and I am trying desperately to change, but it's a fact.
Here from Michele, Karen, and I am WITH you!
We women need to work together, not fight each other. We all know where and how it starts -- let's break the cycle.
Hi, found you purely by accident, but wanted to share this with you. I'm 52 and my sons are grown men who actually hold conversations now. it's amazing! One of the things we've discussed was when I apologized to them for never having been a good housewife and handed them down cleaning hints and cooking tips. I was always ADD-ish, hey, the sun is out, let's play. They told me those moments are their best memories. So who knew! June needs to stay in the 50s babe. Hope this made sense.
I adore this post; and it goes beyond moms. Whenever any group of women gets together, married, single, moms, childless, there's always some that, if not whispering about what someone is wearing, or their hair or clothes, then they're THINKING about it.
I try HARD not to do this, but I'm not perfect.
GREAT post!
Yes, I agree........more people should be honest about these things....
however, true confession coming up: I LOVE to iron. IM SORRY!!!!!I know, I know.....kill me!
If we are really being honest here...what I would rather have than rolled up smelly socks and sticky counters is a smooth white russian and a lap dance.
You say unkind things to your kids? And to your husband? Have you seen what happens in Pleasantville when you do that? It isn't pretty!
[grin] Lovely post!
Michele sent me to say so.
N.
Time for true confessions with respect to sewing on buttons...I have been known to avoid this task so successfully that my sons have actually grown out of these garments before the mission gets accomplished. I'm with you on the ironing too...I have a few pieces of clothing that are needful of this task...they have been hanging in my laundry room for months on end. The "problem" is that there are SO MANY other things that I would rather spend my time doing -including blogging! Great post!
Michele sent me too. So nice to find kindred spirits. My kids, too, are all grown and it's just me and my husband at home. I still can't manage to clean, wash, iron, or anything else. Too terribly addicted to the computer.
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