Do moms really have the hardest job ever?
The viral "World's Toughest Job" video demonstrates, in job description format, what many moms go through to raise their children, For example, they don't sit down very often, and sleep... well, sleep is not guaranteed. Also, you work 24/7 and you have no holidays. Of course, you also get no pay. Reactions have ranged from those who cherish the message that it sends to those who think it's a bunch of bull — and where does this leave dads? We went to Twitter and talked with real moms to see what they thought about the video.
Many moms love the acknowledgement
Your Facebook or Twitter feed may be full of moms loving this video. Many moms adore how the video helps highlight the amount of work that they do in a typical day, whether they work outside the home or not. Being a parent is hard work, and the workload is often different for both moms and dads — a difference that many feel goes unnoticed. "As a stay-at-home mom who has been asked accusingly by family, multiple times, what I do all day, I liked it," shares Kristen via Twitter.
Becky, mom of three, feels the same. "I think it's true and quite shocking that these people didn't already know that," she shares. "Kids are consuming. But they're so, so worth that consumption."
What about dads?
Reactions weren't positive across the board, however. The glaring omission of other caregivers in a child's life is what set off some. "[I was] raised by a single dad so it angered me," explains Zoot via Twitter. Daisy agrees. "Sweet in theory, but overdone," she writes on Twitter. "Being a mom is hard, sure, but in general life is hard, being a caregiver is hard… being a dad. I just hate when motherhood is touted as the hardest thing ever. What about parenthood? Or... life? I dunno."
These moms aren't the only ones who have been put off by the video. "Not only do they ignore the contributions of fathers or other caregivers, but they overstate what's actually required to be a parent," shares Erika, mom of two. "Hey, we chose to be moms, so I don't think I need to remind my kids of the things I do for them. They didn't ask to be born. I do what I have to do for them because I want them to be productive and healthy people and members of society."
Ultimately, Mother's Day is for moms
All in all, the video is marketing genius. Debuting just a few weeks before Mother's Day, the company behind the video is Cardstore — a greeting card company. The video has been viewed over 8 million times so far, and that number will only continue to skyrocket. And the question has been asked — why would a Mother's Day video include dads, anyway?
"Overall, it has been proven time and again that women bear the brunt of the more grueling parenting and household duties both in time and professional sacrifice, so when we are praised for our efforts, even if in a treacly, distasteful way to sell cards on Mother's Day, do we really have to sit back and ask how we can better include men?" asks Jonna, who can be found on Twitter. "Really? It's so incredibly obvious to me that the answer is a resounding, uh, hell no, that I am incredulous and embarrassed that this conversation is even happening. It's bananas."
While some wonder why dads would even be featured in a video about Mother's Day, others don't really see it the same way and feel that parenting is hard work, period, for all parents. Personally, while I think the video was cute and the premise was clever, I don't really need a video to make me have feels about my mom, who I love and adore every day of the year. What do you think?
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