A Goodbye to Workin’ Moms
At the end of its 7th season, Workin’ Moms ended its run on Netflix. It was bittersweet. The show had its faults and seemed to get cartoonish in the end but I found myself being drawn to many of the heartfelt storylines that made me feel seen. Workin’ Moms follows five thirty-something working mothers from all walks of life who are all connected by a skills-based parenting group.
All these mothers are motivated and clearly want the best for their kids, especially since the only reason they’re in this class is to get their child into this prestigious elementary school. Their relationships grow past the group and the ladies find themselves in several hijinks and personal dilemmas while they struggle to balance careers and their newfound motherhood.
How I Resonated With The Show as a New Mom
I started watching Workin’ Moms on maternity leave. I felt seen. It made me laugh at a time when I was crying every day because I spilled my breastmilk and couldn’t remember the last time I had showered or left the house. Aside from my experience with postpartum depression, I was anxious about the prospect of going back to work. On one hand, I couldn’t wait to get back into the world where I could dress in clean clothes and speak to other adults. The other side of me felt my child was too young to have long days without me.
Societal Pressure
Mothering is truly a gendered injustice. We live in a society where mothers are expected to be martyrs. Do whatever it takes for their children and you’re not a good one if you don’t sacrifice it all. For a while, I thought I was being selfish, having the desire to dip into the other parts of myself that had nothing to do with my child.
And then came Workin’ Moms, a subversion show that wasn’t afraid to show all sides of motherhood. A show that was willing to show mothers as enriched by their children, not whole because of them. That’s how I felt. I didn’t want my mind to be fully engulfed by my mother's identity.
Mom Guilt
If a mother hadn’t yet experienced guilt about her mothering by the first few weeks of birth, it definitely comes by the time you have to return to work. The ongoing theme of this show is managing mom guilt. As much as these women were focusing on their careers and love lives, there is always the underlying guilt of “Did I see my kid enough today?”, “am I going to damage them if I don’t make it to this soccer practice?”, “Am I pumping enough?”, etc…
Societal pressures often convince mothers that if they are not centering their children, they are being selfish and harming their families. This keeps many mothers from engaging in the very activities that can prevent Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders.
Workin’ Moms Shows a Journey of Rediscovery
In the conclusion of Workin’ Moms, you realize these women went through a journey of rediscovering themselves with the help of each other. That in turn is what makes them amazing mothers to admire. Support from other mothers is something that helped me and became the inspiration for starting my own new mom support group for first-time mothers. In the last scene of the show, Kate the main character, is on her way out of the home for work when she’s stopped by her youngest child asking if he could watch a tv show.
Kate gracefully says “no” and walks out the door. This may seem anticlimactic. However, it’s reflecting the arc that all the moms have had on the show. Her unapologetic, confident limit-setting is a sign of her growth. Her ability to no longer be stifled by her mom guilt and confidently parent the way she sees fit while going out in the world and feeling like the boss she knows she is.
If this sounds inspiring, check out my New Mom Support Group and see how groups can help you transition out of your postpartum fog.
Workin’ Moms can be streamed on Netflix.
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OTHER THERAPY SERVICES OFFERED AT RESTORITY SPACE
At Restority Space, I offer a range of therapy services to help you through whatever it is that you are experiencing, other than being a new mom. I’m committed to providing the care women may need when it comes to their mental health online in both New York and New Jersey. Other therapy services I offer include Trauma Therapy, Individual Therapy, and Group Therapy. No matter what challenge you are facing, I am here to help.