The rise of the 'Instamum.' Documenting your child's life and achievements is not new, but the perfect curated feed of parenting life is. If you're reading this, you're probably no stranger to Instagram and the many Instaparents on the platform. They can vary in content, but there are so many who portray the most beautiful images of perfectly charming family life. From fairytale family homes, matching designer outfits to wholesome crafts and food that looks too good to eat.
I myself could be described as an Instamum. I have a blog, an Instagram page with a modest following and a Facebook page. My style varies from setting up images to real-life glimpses. I tend to do prettier pictures on my grid and real-life behind the scenes on my stories. I can promise you if you ever think I'm one of those mums who have it all together, I don't. I'm running around in the morning trying to find the matching shoes like the rest of you and my house regularly looks like there's been a student party going on. I don't like playing or crafting with the children particularly but I do like their enjoyment from it.
Are we getting tired of the 'perfect' Instamum though? There are signs this is indeed true. Picture this: you're at home with a toddler and a baby, they're both crying or whining and you're scrolling through Instagram. Seeing Mums with slim tums on a perfect holiday with their children in designer gear seemingly well behaved can make you feel demoralised, guilty and jealous all at the same time. The same goes for a pristinely decorated home that's always clean and tidy.
Instead, we're favouring the Mums who show what it's really like, warts and all. It is much more liberating when you can relate to the person you're seeing and their home life. Personally, I like a bit of both. I like the aspirational accounts who always seem to have it together (but they admit they don't) and I also like the ones who's houses are worse than mine and have no intention of losing the 'baby weight.' I love seeing beautiful homes for inspiration, often ones that have been through or are going through a renovation.
What you need to remember if you're feeling demoralised or guilty from seeing those perfect Instamum accounts is that what they're choosing to show you is a snapshot, a highlight of their day. They've often tidied that particular corner of the house to take the photo, their children have smiled for that moment and we all have our own issues to deal with. Even the ones with the perfect homes... I think...
Think about your day. There will be times when you had giggles, good times and the house was semi-clean and tidy. Even if it wasn't that day, there will be times when it is. If you have really small children it's so hard to do anything else during the day other than look after them, so cut yourself some slack. Especially if you don't have any help from relatives or friends. If you could take photos of the highlights, nice corners of your home, you could have a highlight reel too.
