A Motherhood Challenge was going around Facebook in early February of 2016. It is entirely possible that it is still making the rounds (as these types of challenges tend to do). What may have been originally intended as a simple way to honor motherhood has run into a lot of controversy.
The Facebook Motherhood Challenge had simple rules. A mom was to post five photos that represent their journey as a mother. The idea was to focus on the moments that brought joy. Next, the mom must tag five other mothers, who must do the challenge, too.
On the positive side, moms had a good “excuse” to post some emotional, memorable photos of themselves and their children on Facebook. The act of selecting another mom to take the challenge worked kind of like a compliment. It was an indirect way to tell a friend that you though she was a great mother.
The biggest negative about the Facebook Motherhood Challenge has to do with privacy. In order to participate, a mom must post photos of her children. Those photos can be seen by all the people who have “friended” that mom. Some moms might be ok with that idea, since they “know” who their friends are.
The challenge requires each mom who participates to tag five other moms. This is where the privacy issue comes in. When you tag a friend in a Facebook post, you are essentially “allowing” all of their friends, and friends of friends, to see that post. In other words, a photo that involved breastfeeding, or skin to skin contact between mother and newborn moments after birth, have been seen by more people than the moms who posted them may realize!
Some feel that the Facebook Motherhood Challenge can cause emotional harm to women who aren’t mothers. More specifically, it can be painful for women who have lost a child to have their Facebook feed flooded with the happy photos that other mothers are sharing. Women who have miscarried, or who are having difficulty getting pregnant, may find the Motherhood Challenge photos upsetting.
There are other reasons why some people dislike the Facebook Motherhood Challenge. A mom who doesn’t get tagged by any of her friends might feel that they think she is not a good mother. That assumption could easily lead to unwanted drama or fighting.
Some women who are not mothers found the challenge to be offensive. Part of the reason appears to be that the challenge can be viewed as saying that the only valid life choice for women is to become a mother. Women who felt that way posted photos of themselves enjoying life without children.
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