Moms Should Own the Humble Brag
Mother’s Day is almost upon us, and it strikes me as one of the few days ( the only day? ) a nicely crafted and well-placed humble brag isn’t needed by mom. As moms, we are overwhelmed with daily, often tedious and largely unnoticed, tasks. I’d like to think we do a pretty good job of accepting this. We know the finish line is still well over the horizon. We get that our countless nudges toward successful children, blissful family life, beautiful home, happy partner, meaningful friends and world change are significant and as inevitable as breathing, even if no one notices. But, sometimes. Sometimes, we crave recognition. Since Passive-Agressive Mom is frankly not very pleasant, I think moms should own the humble brag. It’s an easy almost impalpable change in our vernacular, but it leaves everyone involved feeling much better.
An illustration:
P-A Mom “Well, of course son, nothing would give me more joy than to bring your forgotten homework to school before noon, because I oddly have absolutely nothing to do, today”
HB Mom “ Sure, that will be perfect! I’ll need a nice skinny latte at the Starbucks by your school by then, anyway. I usually start to drag a little after making everyone’s beds, doing dishes and laundry, work emails, scheduling and grocery shopping”
Right? P-A Mom guilts son and resents executing the task. Although, she’ll do it anyway. There’s also a risk, hinging on delivery, her son may think she’s serious, and then it’s just a greek tragedy. But, HB Mom gets to vent and impart a gentle reminder of all she does. Not gentle, really. But, not offensively blatant. And that’s the brilliant part. We are all now familiar with the Humble Brag. We know this is a vehicle for much needed attention. And it can be tiresome. But, offensive? No, it usually sets you off toward a bit of empathy. The Humble Brag neither attracts pity. It’s in that perfect little sweet spot. And moms should live there. Pity goes to Martyr Mom, which is not worth all the hand-wringing. Yet, still a better use of time than Shameless Self-Promoting Mom, which you should never employ even on your bleakest days.
So, keep those Humble Brags in your quiver, for those days of need. But, not Sunday. This is the day everyone stops to notice the Wizard behind the curtain. Drink it in. And then pick up the nudging where you left off.