Mom-of-three's rant about society's crazy expectations for working moms is going viral
Parents on Facebook are heaping praise on a working mother for opening up about the realities of juggling the oft-impossible work-life balance.
Sarah Buckley Friedberg, who hails from Needham, Massachusetts, posted a lengthy rant to the social media platform last week, and it quickly racked up over 51,000 shares.
"It was last Thursday and it was one of those days where everything seemed tough," she said in the post titled, Society to Working Moms. "I got the kids to bed and was tired, frustrated, pumping and had a verbal dump of everything. I said, 'This is what's going on in my head.'"
She then proceeded to point out all the expectations that society lords upon mothers - whether they work full-time, or reside at home.
Credit: Sarah Buckley Friedberg / Facebook
Friedberg is mother to a six-year-old, a three-year-old, and a one-year-old. She's also a full-time microbiology manager for a major medical device company, and as you can imagine, it can all get pretty tough.
"Go back to work 6-8 weeks after having the baby. The baby that you spent 9-10 months growing inside of your body. Go back to work before you have finished healing or have had time to bond with your baby. Keep your mind on work, and not your tiny helpless baby that is being watched and cared for by someone other than you. Make sure to break the glass ceiling and excel at your job- you can do anything a man can do! It is your job to show society this! Show the world that women can do it all. Rise to the top of your career," she began.
"Also breastfeed for at least a year. So take 2-3 pumping breaks a day at work, but don't let it throw you off your game or let you lose your focus.
Also, lose that baby weight and get back in shape, as quickly and as gracefully as possible. Make sure to get 8 hours of sleep a night so you can work out, work, and care for your family. But also get up at 5 am to workout, unless you want to do it after your kids go to bed when you also need to clean the house and get life ready for the next day and you know, sleep."
Credit: Sarah Buckley Friedberg / Facebook
She then addressed how working mothers are expected to be perfect domestic beings, while simultaneously excelling in their profession;
"Maintain a clean, pinterest worthy house. Take the Christmas lights down. Recycle. Be Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the birthday planner, the poop doula (seriously when will this end), the finder of lost things, the moderator of fights. Be fun. Be firm. Read books. Have dance parties.
Maintain the schedule for the entire family. Birthday parties coming up? Make sure to have presents! Ensure the kids are learning to swim, play an instrument, read, ride a bike, be a good human being, eat vegetables, wear sunscreen, drink enough water, say please and thank you. Don't forget they need to dress as their favorite book character on Monday, and wear something yellow on Thursday. Oh it's totally your call but most parents come in on their birthday and read to the entire class. In case nobody told you, if you have more than one kid you will need to buy new shoes approximately every other day.
Sorry, you are now out of vacation time because you used it all for time taking your kids to appointments or when your childcare is unavailable. You should go on vacations though. It's good to relax and unwind from work. Makes you a better employee. "
Read the post in its entirety below:
Friedberg's post was received overwhelmingly positively, and she said that the response made her feel a sense of camaraderie with other working moms.