A cooking video has gone viral, sparking a discussion about the pressures of motherhood in the age of social media.
Maya Burns, who goes by the name Polish Mom, frequently shares videos about cooking for her three young children on TikTok and Instagram. But one particular post about a crockpot sausage and chicken pasta dinner has taken on a life of its own, garnering more than 17 million views and prompting quite a bit about Burns’ kitchen skills, the nutritional value of her food, her appearance, and her physical appearance. It attracted a wide range of negative comments. more.
After 1 X user posted a video The caption reads, “This next generation of mothers is doomed…” many Commenter jumped off In her defense.
i am confused. This is such a great crockpot recipe. It’s not fried or overly processed and contains both carbohydrates and protein that are hard to feed to kids. And will her kids eat it?? What’s the problem?? https://t.co/MnnuvY9nlX
— Meg W. ☕️🌧️🍂 Vote (@_nomadic_soul) October 9, 2024
Writer and working mom Tweeted by Marlo Slaybeck“It’s called ‘mama slop.’ It’s the backbone of the great culinary achievements of all civilizations.”
She added that Instant Pot meals connect her with “generations of women who hastily mixed ingredients together” to feed their families, and who all over the world fit into the “mom’s slop” category. pointed out the cuisine of the culture.
“While some people may find the words ‘mother’s doslop’ to be completely unappetizing, I think for many people there is an ancestral memory that the word conjures up: a hastily mixed meal by one’s mother. But they had an almost scientific knowledge of what ingredients to put together.”It tastes good and will satisfy some people’s appetites,” Slaybeck said on HuffPost. told US Edition. “As my parents are Syrian, they didn’t have time to add embellishments, so I immediately remembered the comforting meals my mother would make, like unadorned ‘maqroob’ or ‘mujadala’ without the crunchy fried onions. Ta.”
She recalled that her mother would sometimes “deconstruct” iconic Levantine dishes and cook them in the slow cooker. Although it wasn’t as appealing as it looked, it was still delicious and filling.
“It may be a wild way to describe these meals, but I think Mama Slop captures it in a loving, low-pressure way as well,” added Slaybek, noting that many mothers are People responded positively to her tweet, noting that the term helps get rid of the discomfort caused by cooking and makes it feel more accessible and intuitive.
Burns just wants to share real and humorous videos about her life as a mom to two-year-old twins and a three-year-old.
“I learned to be creative with the materials I had on hand,” she told HuffPost. “When I was a kid, my parents didn’t have a lot of money, so we had to use up everything we had in the house before we could buy groceries. I was a former military spouse, so I was able to eat on a budget. I learned how to make them. My page has lots of easy meal ideas.
When she’s faced with negativity, such as commenters criticizing her for doing her hair, nails, and makeup on a budget as a busy mom, she tends to turn to humor and satire. There is. Her videos have cheeky titles like “Dinner for kids and husband when you need money for new nails” and “Lunch for three kids as a lazy SAHM learning to cook” appears frequently.
“It’s crazy to me that you can put someone down just for trying to make a meal,” Burns added.
With the rise of “tradie wife” content on social media in recent years, people seem increasingly bold to criticize wives and mothers who fall short of these impossible standards. Even people who don’t face external judgment can set ridiculous expectations for themselves.
Keelbasa’s mother learns that real-life SAHMs do motherly tasks like cooking affordable dinners with simple ingredients, thrifting on clothes, and skipping workouts because the baby didn’t sleep. It confirms my suspicion that men are appalled. They want the fantasy sold by billionaire content creators.
— Girl Fieri (@realgirl_fieri) October 10, 2024
“Everyone feels pressure to live a picture-perfect life that can easily be photographed for social media,” Slaybek said. “I primarily see the influencer tradie wife trend as being designed for consumption rather than imitation, as it is clearly unrealistic for most mothers and families. .”
In reality, most parents don’t have the resources or the luxury to prepare elaborate meals like influencers like Hannah Neeleman and Nara Smith. While she shares household chores with her husband, Slaybek noted that the demands of a full-time job and raising children require a more pragmatic approach to mealtimes.
“I used to be a picky eater and make elaborate dishes and French pastries, but I became a mother and accepted that I needed to adapt,” Slaybeck said.
“Before I became a busy mom, I had high expectations for myself and was determined to make everything from scratch, but I quickly realized that wasn’t possible,” Burns said. I repeated. “I’d rather spend time with my kids than spend most of the day in the kitchen. I make homemade bread, but I also eat frozen chicken nuggets for lunch, which is perfectly fine.”
Dinners that aren’t picture perfect may actually play an important role in your child’s development.
“In real life, sometimes the sausage burns, the chicken doesn’t cook for some reason, and I end up feeding the kids cereal or mac and cheese because it’s already 9 p.m. and I have to eat and go to bed. ” said parenting coach Christine. gearing. “One of the things we want our kids to learn is how to bounce back when things don’t go your way. One of the best ways to teach that is by example. Resilience is hard to model when everything is perfect all the time.”
She was also struck by criticism of the nutritional value of Mr. Burns’ family’s meals.
“I have spent 30 years working with families in all ways, including those with special needs,” Gearing explained. “We want to show the world that there is no one-size-fits-all ‘perfectly nutritious’ diet.”
She assists individual families in determining what is best for their child’s individual dietary needs, such as whether they are unable to metabolize certain nutrients, have food allergies, or need to gain weight. He emphasized that a true expert is the right person to do it.
“You can never look at a particular diet and conclude that it does not meet a child’s nutritional needs, because (A) each child’s needs are truly unique, and (B) their nutritional needs are… “It’s not based on what the child eats, but what they eat overall,” Gearing said.
Slaybeck thought the meal was highly relatable to busy parents trying to put dinner on the table.
“The types of ingredients she used, from preserves that are easily available in the pantry to protein and cheese mixes, are the basic building blocks for the quick and hearty dinners I make as a mom.” ” she pointed out.
The day Barnes made a crockpot pasta dinner was especially hectic.
“There was so much going on,” she recalls. “Did I put vegetables in? No, that’s fine. I provided them with produce all day long.”
“Please stop this sad trend of criticizing other mothers,” she added. “Many young children are very picky eaters and don’t want to touch things much. I was very picky myself. Kindness doesn’t cost anything!”
Burns likes to create satirical content that pokes fun at the negative comments she receives, but she also focuses on the positive reactions from fellow moms that motivate her to keep sharing her cooking videos. .
“I had no idea that people would want to watch my content. I got comments like, ‘I tried your rice recipe and it changed my life!'” Let’s have fun! she said.
Despite the criticism, Burns’ viral moment has also generated some positivity. Ms. Slaybek received many moving responses to her defense of her “mother’s gaffe.”
“My posts include people saying they’re going to call their mom to tell her they love her, or that they still want to eat the meal she made for her on a weeknight with random ingredients from the fridge and pantry. A lot of people sent me “and for some reason it was delicious,” she said.
Support free journalism
Consider supporting HuffPost for as little as $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.
Can’t afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while reading.
Thank you for your contributions to HuffPost. We’re grateful to readers like you who help keep our journalism free for all.
The stakes are high this year and coverage in 2024 may require continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Thank you for your contributions to HuffPost. We’re grateful to readers like you who help keep our journalism free for all.
The stakes are high this year and coverage in 2024 may require continued support. We hope you will consider contributing to HuffPost again.
Support HuffPost
Already a contributor? Please log in to hide these messages.
Gearing believes the outpouring of support for Burns speaks to a broader uplifting movement in the parenting world.
“There are so many people defending this mother and quashing the hateful and disrespectful comments. This says a lot about society. Even if we are mostly anonymous, many of us will stand up and say something to counter the hate. It’s heartwarming to see so much support for working housewives.”
