Why Moms are Obsessed with Social Media

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Fellow mommas, I’ll be the first to admit how hard it is sometimes to put down the phone. I’ve been a stay at home mom for two and a half years now and recently started working from home. It’s so easy to get sucked into the downward spiral of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Now with PopSockets so popular, your hand doesn’t even get so tired while endlessly scrolling. I confess I’ve had legit conversations with my husband before bed about all the funny pictures and comments I came across throughout the day. He was really thrilled (insert sarcastic eye roll). 

I have made a strong effort to be more conscious about time on my phone for my daughter’s sake. She doesn’t need to see me buried in my phone any more than I already am for work. But for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why it was so hard to set it down and walk away! Why was I so abnormally attached to my phone? Then it hit me. 

I feel less isolated. When I scroll through my feed I am connected to at least 1,000 other people and their lives. I get to see their kids growing up, what they did over the weekend, the delicious food they recently enjoyed, or fun places they have visited. While I’m sitting in my PJ’s at 9 AM on my living room floor, I get to see a glimpse of other people’s fabulous, or not so fabulous, life. Not to mention the millions of recipes I save knowing darn well I will never make that fancy French dessert. But just in case the occasion calls, I will have it at my fingertips. While I’m sitting with my toddler while she not so quietly plays with her yapping toy dog incessantly, I don’t feel so trapped in my house. 

It is a great form of entertainment. Let’s be perfectly honest; the comments on the photo of the poor lady wearing the clown-looking pink jumpsuit were MUCH more entertaining than hearing the same Wiggles song for the fifth time today. I know it’s a good comment thread when the GIF of Michael Jackson eating popcorn or the offended young gentleman with the blinking eyes pop up. Some are so comical I can’t help but laugh out loud, prompting everyone to stop and look at me a little funny. It’s also hard to not tag three friends in a company’s Instagram post offering a free product, then checking back on the day the giveaway ends to see if one of us has won. We all have those three or four friends we know won’t get upset when we tag them because they are the same ones always tagging us. I’m also embarrassed to admit how much time I’ve spent flipping through pages of links such as, “16 Times People Regretted Getting Out of Bed.” I just can’t help myself!

You stay up to date with the world. Very rarely will I watch the news on TV anymore. It just isn’t worth my time when I can get the important highlights from their websites or Facebook pages. I am informed on the latest celebrity death or political scandal long before the news stations ever pick it up because someone shared it on Facebook. Our community also has block watch pages. That’s a great way to learn, for better or for worse, about my community. Whether it be street closures, criminal activity, or the 104 comments about the new chicken restaurant that just opened, I can find out what is going on right from my own home.

The world is full of technology. Heck, I can even order my groceries online and have them delivered to my doorstep in two hours or less. Sometimes I just need an escape for a few minutes and my phone is conveniently within reach. I would never put my social media over spending time with my daughter. That’s a decision I made a long time ago and don’t plan on changing that. But sometimes it nice to just check out, and it seems social media does that for a lot of us. Ok, now cue the GIFs!

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Kristin Latchaw
I am a born and raised Cincinnatian, and I love this city and everything it has to offer. I'm married to my wonderful husband, Joe, and our daughter is a spunky, opinionated toddler named Rozlyn. I was raised a West Sider, but moved northeast shortly before marriage. My husband teases that West Side roots run deep, and I cannot go anywhere without seeing someone I know! I love exploring the city with my little family. Some of the most fun we have had together is when we just get up and see where the day takes us. I am embracing my current role as a SAHM and constantly learning as I go!

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