If the furore over a recent Facebook post proves anything, it's that you simply can't please all of the people all of the time as one mother from the United States recently discovered.
Having taken to Facebook to pay tribute to stay-at-home mothers, Ryshell Castleberry found herself on the receiving end of criticism from working mothers who questioned why the tattoo artist felt the need to create a divide between them and their SAH counterparts.
Ryshell's post, which has been liked more than a half a million times since its upload in recent weeks, depicts a theoretical conversation between a husband and his therapist, with the lformer purporting that his partner 'did not work' because she is a housewife.
In an effort to prove the incongruity of this statement, Ryshell went on to list the endless tasks and chores tended to by SAH mothers in a move which has raised the ire of working mothers who insist they do the same while also holding down a job outside the home.
"Usually takes a while to figure something out that she can do while she is out, so she doesn't have to pack and unpack the carseat too many times, like drop off bills or to make a stop at the supermarket. Sometimes she forgets something and has to make the trip all over again, baby in tow," the husband tells his therapist.
"Once back home, she has to feed the baby lunch and breastfeed again, get the baby's diaper changed and ready for a nap, sort the kitchen and then will take care of laundry and cleaning of the house. You know, because she doesn't work," he concluded.
While Ryshell's post, which was accompanied by a Ricky Mujica painting of a breastfeeding mother applying make-up, requested we appreciate the SAH mothers in our lives, it looks like her message was interpreted differently by some members of the parenting community, with one mother writing: "I work a full time job and still do all of the above. I wish I could stay at home!!!"
Echoing her fellow Facebook user, another mum wrote: "And there's those of us who do all that AND work" which raised the hackles of one woman who responded: "Did you have to make this a mommy competition? Can't you let the other half get some credit?"
Defending the post, one social media user wrote: "This is a generalization, not directed at any one individual. Wtf does people have to take things so personally anymore. My guess as to why the story was written how it is, is because this happens in the majority of households, and has been going on for centuries."
Astounded by the controversy her post stirred up, Ryshell eventually responded to the innumerable comments, writing: "First of all, this statement is generalized. At no point am I complaining, at no point am I not giving credit to the man who does work, the mom who does work or the stay at home DAD."
Urging the public to look at the post from a perspective which suits them, Ryshhell wrote: "IF YOU are any of those things, read the message and replace the words with words that fit your situation."
In spite of the backlash, the post has been shared a whopping 189,000 times. So, what are your thoughts?
