Real moms on TV: 'Surviving Motherhood'

Here's what Stephanie (Crazy MomCat) has to say about the new-ish TLC show, Surviving Motherhood:

While setting up my DVR to record my latest t.v. obsession (What Not To Wear), I stumbled across a little show that looked interesting. So, I began recording Surviving Motherhood on TLC. And, now, I am so glad that I did! Surviving Motherhood is like 30 minutes of television therapy for mothers of young children. (I'll have to talk about the WNTW obsession another time, as it is WAY out of control!)

The show's concept is not rocket-science, but it sure is relatable. Take 4 or 5 mothers with varied backgrounds and experiences and plop them in a coffee shop to talk with one another. Each mother has an issue or problem to discuss. Each week, you learn one mother's story and the other mothers offer their advice based on their experiences. But, also helpful is the advice from the "expert" (typically a psychologist of some sort) on how to remedy or alleviate the problem.

I am a fan of ABC's Supernanny show, but one of my main complaints is that they feature very extreme cases with each episode. [So the rest of us can sit back and congratulate ourselves on what stellar parents we are. -- Ed.] Surviving Motherhood does not. It shows real moms dealing with everyday kid problems, like picky eaters, not going to bed on time, and temper tantrums. I highly recommend it!

[Asha here.] I've been meaning to write about Surviving Motherhood for a while. It had been sitting on my TiVo for weeks and I finally sat down and watched it. I can't say I'm as enthusiastic as Stephanie about the show, BUT I do appreciate the focus on real life and the recognition that the most helpful experts are usually other parents.

Tags: Motherhood, Parenting

Comments

[Steph.]

I have to comment back too--there have been some really good episodes, but I have also found others that I just delete because it doesn't have meaning to me. It is definitely still a show worth checking out though!

[Rachel]

I do like this show. I also dig the show that comes on right before it--"Bringing Home Baby." I'm about to have my first, and watching this show is somehow comforting. I get an idea of what happens in the first 24 hours anyway. Not a whole lot of sleep, that's for sure.