We recently asked moms of the BuzzFeed Community to share the things people think about moms that are totally wrong. Their responses called out just about every annoying mom myth you can think of:
1. "Our vaginas are permanently stretched and sex couldn't possibly be enjoyable."
2. "We don't have a life outside of our kids."
"I go out with friends, shop, and work out. Just because we are mothers does not mean we lost who we are along the way."
3. "We don't want to be invited out places."
"Please invite me; I probably won't have interacted with real adults in a social setting in weeks and will bend over backwards to make it happen! But if I can't go, I will still really appreciate being invited. It's nice to know people still want you in their lives, especially when you feel isolated as a new parent."
4. "They think we don't care when our child misbehaves in public just because we don't punish them on the spot."
5. "I’m upset my body didn’t 'bounce back.'"
"This belly held a growing baby in it for nine months. I’m proud of it just the way it is."
6. "We can’t enjoy a night away from our kids without talking only about our kids."
"We are capable of talking about things besides our children!"
7. "They think all moms love wine! I have two girls and I rarely drink. If I do, it will be a margarita."
8. "Being a work-at-home parent is a breeze."
"Yes, it’s amazing to contribute to my family while staying with my kiddo, but you feel like you’re never caught up. If you spend too much time working, your kid misses you, but if you spend too much time with your kid, your work suffers. I’m grateful to do it, but it’s doubly exhausting."
9. "Most people think staying home with your kids is lazy, but what they don't consider is that we are on 24/7."
10. "Attractive, single moms are on the prowl for married men."
11. "I hate that people think that if a mom complains about her kids or her life, it means she shouldn’t have become a parent."
"Parenting is a ridiculously hard job and sometimes you need to vent just like anyone else with a 'regular' job."
12. "Just because I had a baby, people think I've given up on my ambitions."
"When I travel for work they’re horrified that I can be away from my kid for several days at a time. I love my daughter to the moon and back, but she’s just fine with her dad for a few days here and there while I move ahead in my field!"
13. "If you had a C-section, you didn't actually give birth."
14. "We extend breastfeeding our babies to get some sort of mom badge or because we think we’re better than other moms."
"I still breastfeed my almost 2-year-old because we have a great breastfeeding relationship, it’s the perfect source of supplemental food and antibodies for her, the WHO recommends it, and because I want to. It has nothing to do with anyone else."
15. "If you formula-fed instead of breastfed, you didn't try hard enough."
"You don't know the circumstances surrounding the decision. For example, some women don't actually make enough milk."
16. "We 'let ourselves go.'"
17. "All moms are entitled and pushy about our kids."
"Not true. I know when we’re in the ER we will have to wait because a kid who is bleeding has priority over my child’s fever, and if her teacher says my daughter was acting up, I will talk to my daughter about it, not yell at the teacher."
18. "Moms are automatically the primary emotional support."
"Dads that give emotional care are one of the ways we rid the world of toxic masculinity and teach boys to foster caring, platonic relationships with their own gender."
19. "They think we're superwomen who can do it all."
20. "We push having kids on people who don't want them. We, of all people, totally get the appeal of a kid-free life."
21. "Being a mom is lame."
"Sorry, I spent nine months growing a human and then had to successfully get that human out of my body. Being a mom is the most badass thing you could do!"
22. "We can’t or shouldn’t swear anymore."
23. "We all have a desire or interest in running a blog. I was a journalism major in college, but I still have no desire to run a blog about mom life."
24. "Moms want everyone to visit them at the hospital when they give birth."
"You’re typically only in the hospital two days (unless there’s a medical need to stay longer) and you’re trying to heal and also learn a lot of things, so there’s barely time for visitors. Just wait until the new parents are home and comfortable before visiting."
25. "Having kids 'ruins' your life."
Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.