Can We Stop Shaming Moms for Going on Date Nights Already?
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Those first few weeks after you welcome a baby are joyful, yes—but let's not pretend they don't test your sanity. After going through childbirth, dealing with sleep deprivation and adjusting to having an additional person in the house, every mom could use a break—and whether that's a nice, long shower or a fun date night, we are all entitled to some time for ourselves.
But unfortunately, not everyone got that memo. Australian model and actress Megan Gale is the latest mom to face shame for a recent choice she made: Gale, who just welcomed her second child a few weeks ago, stepped out for a quick dinner with her husband...and the haters came out to play.
The good news? Gale stood up for herself—even though she shouldn't have had to explain her actions! "For sure we have to devote the majority of our time to our kids. However, IF it can be managed well, stealing an hour or two, here and there as a couple or an individual is a "win" for parents," she wrote in the photo's updated caption. "In this instance we had left Rosie with my very experienced and capable Mum after I had bathed, dressed, fed her and put her down plus I'd expressed enough milk for two feeds just in case. At the moment she sleeps for 4-5 hours and then feeds again so we knew we had more than enough time for a 1 hour dinner, which was 3mins from our house."
Frustrating as this may be, Gale is so not the only mom who has ever faced shamers after venturing out on a quick date night. Chrissy Teigen famously faced flack when she and hubby John Legend went out to dinner shortly after welcoming baby Luna—though, as Legend pointed out, the new dad received no such criticism. Interesting, huh?
This sort of judgment is just so unfair for new moms, who are already under such intense pressure. There's no "right" time to take a short break from the responsibilities of parenthood—and let's not forget that Gale left her kids with her own mother....and isn't giving kids some time to bond with grandparents a good thing?
Gale touched on how tough it was for her to step away from her firstborn thanks to a case of postpartum depression, which further illuminates how unfair it is for moms to face shame for their choices. You never know what someone is working through!
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"With River I barely left the house for the first 6 weeks, out of fear, out of guilt and I lost a little part of myself and also developed what I now feel was a mild case of postnatal depression," Gale wrote. "If you've ensured your child is well looked after in your absence, then there is nothing wrong with some alone time as a couple or as an individual. You'll be happier people for it and more importantly, better parents?."
We couldn't agree more!
