By Movieguide® Staff
A recent op-ed from writer Bethany Mandel celebrates motherhood in an effort to combat the ways many people try to “undersell” becoming a parent.
“There’s something almost subversive about saying ‘I love being a mom’ in 2025,” she wrote for the Substack column “The Mom Wars.” “We live in a time where motherhood is too often framed as martyrdom or misery. You’re supposed to talk about how touched-out you are, how much wine you need just to survive the bedtime routine, how suffocating the mental load is. And yes, all of that can be real. But it’s not the whole truth.”
Mandel, who approached motherhood with trepidation after a complicated upbringing that left her orphaned by age 19, said she “genuinely like[s] my kids, and I like who I am around them.”
“Motherhood gave me more than a new identity. It gave me the kind of family I had long thought I’d never have again. One I didn’t know I wanted or needed,” she continued, adding that becoming a parent gave her the chance to provide her kids with the “loving, stable home” she always wanted.
Mandel wrote, “It’s strange how often we undersell that. How often we whisper about the joys of parenting like they’re secrets we’re not supposed to admit in polite company. But I think it’s time we started saying it out loud. Not to sugarcoat the hard stuff, but to honor the good. To let women know that motherhood isn’t just a series of sacrifices, it can also be a source of strength. It can even be…fun.”
Mandel’s column was inspired by recent comments made by Jen Fulwiler, a comedian and author, on the “Friends with Davey” podcast.
“…I love being a mom,” she said. “You know, I was just so alone my whole life, and my kids are older now…and it’s like I finally have my friends. I finally have my community.”
Mandel, a mother of six, has previously written about her choice to have kids back-to-back. In a recent Substack column for “Mom Wars,” she explained, “Having two kids back-to-back helped free me from that [perfection] mindset early on.”
“I didn’t have time to narrate every step or reevaluate every snack. I had a baby on my hip and a toddler in the sandbox. I was doing my best to keep everyone clean-ish, fed-ish, safe-ish, and happy-ish. And that was more than enough,” she concluded.
Mandel’s recent thoughts on motherhood are a breath of fresh air for many moms who love celebrating their status as parents — no matter what others might have to say.
Read Next: Meghan McCain Calls Culture’s Attack On Motherhood The ‘Biggest And Worst Lie’
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