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If you are a working mum, we bet you are no stranger to stealth insults. Sure, they compliment you for having a career or a passionate hobby on the side, but it always comes with a touch of sarcasm or criticism. It could be about having a career, planning to start a small business or anything on the side that makes it hard for you to give 100% attention to your kids 24/7. As women, we are often reprobated for choosing to live life on our own terms or having a life outside of our family. Even then, when your MIL, relative, or friend pays you a backhanded compliment, it can be hard to shake off the feeling. Here are five such backhanded compliments every mom has had enough of.
1. “You Are Really Brave. I Wish I Had The Courage To Trust Someone Else With My Kids.”
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This comment takes away everything that working moms go through to raise their kids. We deal with fussy infants at 3 in the morning and wake up 2 hours later to pack lunch and rush off to work. We then spend a hectic day at work in our breast milk-soaked shirt. And if that’s not enough, we have to deal with the snarky remarks and jokes about pumping breast milk. Maybe you forgot, but we are bringing home a paycheck to offfer a better life to our kids.
2. “I Love That You Are Career Driven. I Would Miss My Kids Way Too Much If I Had To Work Like You.”
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Just because we head off to work every morning, leaving our kids, doesn’t mean we don’t miss them. But we know that we are doing the best for our family. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have financial independence the same way as choosing to be a stay-at-home mom. Not only do we help in putting food on the table, but we also get to be a role model to our kids by showing them that they can follow their passion and be what they want to be.
3. “You’re So Lucky To Be A Working Mum. I Wish I Could Take Some Time Off From Mom Duties.”
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It doesn’t matter if you work a 9 to 5 job where you have to put in twice the amount of effort as your male counterpart to even be acknowledged or considered for the promotion you have been waiting for years now or if you are a hospital nurse who just completed a 14-hour shift, people always seem to think that we have it easy. Juggling work and family life are just as hard as being a full-time mom. Period.
4. “You Look Fit. I Wish I Had Time To Exercise, But I Always End Up Prioritizing My Kids.”
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Okay, you are not compromising on your responsibilities as a parent if you take 1 hour out of your day to sweat it at the gym or do some yoga. No mom should feel like they have to justify working out and trying to stay fit. Being a mom doesn’t mean you have to let go of your mind and body.
5. “How Do You Do It? I Would Go Insane If I Was A Stay-at-home Mum.”
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It isn’t just working mothers who have to deal with backhanded compliments. Sadly some people just assume that being a stay-at-home mum is extremely hard and tiring. Sure, it is. But it is also a lot of fun and extremely rewarding.
We know it’s hard not to pay attention to such snide comments, especially when it’s coming from other women. But the best thing you can do is ignore them. What are some of the backhanded compliments that you received? Comment below and let us know.
