--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Social expectations about what…" description: "\"“Social expectations about what constitutes a good or a bad mother haunt every decision, and the rise of the parental advice industry ensures that moms..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/jessica-valenti-1960_bad-mother_social-expectations-about-what-constitut_449589.png" --- # Social expectations about what constitutes a good or a bad… ![“Social expectations about what constitutes a good or a bad mother haunt every decision, and the rise of the parental advice industry ensures that moms and dads feel inadequate at every turn.” quote by Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/jessica-valenti-1960_bad-mother_social-expectations-about-what-constitut_449589.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/jessica-valenti-1960_bad-mother_social-expectations-about-what-constitut_449589.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/jessica-valenti-1960_bad-mother_social-expectations-about-what-constitut_449589.png) > ““Social expectations about what constitutes a good or a bad mother haunt every decision, and the rise of the parental advice industry ensures that moms and dads feel inadequate at every turn.”” [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal expectations and a booming advice market make parents feel constantly judged and inadequate. **In simple terms:** Parents feel judged by expectations and advice. Key Takeaway Seek supportive communities. Themes parenting societal pressure media influence Mood critical empathetic Type social analytical When to use this quote - new parents - parenting forums - policy debates Key Concepts feminism psychology culture Questions to Reflect On - What sources of advice do you trust? - How can parents resist judgment? A Different Perspective Advice can be overwhelming and contradictory. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-mother/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Moms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moms/) [Parental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parental/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“ In many instances, a preoccupation with appearances--unrealistic social expectations, impossible standards--can be the single largest barrier to a satisfying social life. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-berent/in-many-instances-a-preoccupation-with-appearances-unrealistic-social-2/) [Jonathan Berent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-berent/) > [“We've come a long way from the time when the crowning achievement in a woman's life was her youthful marriage. 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And then they buy 12 inch dildos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/women-say-porn-sites-portray-an-unrealistic-image-of-their-beauty/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) ## More by Jessica Valenti > [The less obvious hurdle is that of preparing parents emotionally and putting forward realistic images of parenthood and motherhood. There also needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/the-less-obvious-hurdle-is-that-of-preparing-parents-emotionally-and/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [Social media is not just another way to connect feminist and activist voices - it amplifies our messages as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-media-is-not-just-another-way-to-connect-feminist-and-activist/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [Women are brought up to believe you are going to be the better parent and you know what's best. I don't think that's necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/women-are-brought-up-to-believe-you-are-going-to-be-the-better-parent/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [“What is closer to the truth is that when confronted with the love you deserve, it is easier to mock it than accept it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/what-is-closer-to-the-truth-is-that-when-confronted-with-the-love-you/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [Stress from blogging keeps me up at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/stress-from-blogging-keeps-me-up-at-night/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [I think we get into very dangerous territory when we start to define who can and cannot be a feminist. 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Women adjust their behavior to be likable and as a result have less power in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/the-implications-of-likability-are-long-lasting-and-serious-women/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [I think I was in high school, actually, and it was a guidance counselor or someone said, you know, you're just too loud; like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/i-think-i-was-in-high-school-actually-and-it-was-a-guidance-counselor/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [The only purpose of an engagement ring is to show you 'belong' to someone, and your man makes bank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/the-only-purpose-of-an-engagement-ring-is-to-show-you-belong-to/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [Something I say a lot when it comes to anti-feminist stereotypes is that they exist for a reason. The stereotypes of feminists as ugly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/something-i-say-a-lot-when-it-comes-to-anti-feminist-stereotypes-is/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [Even the notion that women should have children at all is based on the idea that a woman's inherent and most important role is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/even-the-notion-that-women-should-have-children-at-all-is-based-on/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [I do think that there is a real crisis of masculinity that's happening in America. I think the problem is - the way it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/i-do-think-that-there-is-a-real-crisis-of-masculinity-that-s/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [Young women know that something is off; they know that the world is a messed-up place. They know that the world is a sexist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/young-women-know-that-something-is-off-they-know-that-the-world-is-a/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [“I’m talking about the soul-crushing drudgery of day-to-day parenthood that we’re too embarrassed to talk about. The boredom, the stress, the nagging dissatisfaction, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/i-m-talking-about-the-soul-crushing-drudgery-of-day-to-day-parenthood/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) [Explore all 195 Jessica Valenti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) ## More Bad mother quotes > [As a boy, when I was bad, my mother would chew me out in Spanish. 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We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-smokler/admitting-that-this-job-isn-t-always-easy-doesn-t-make-somebody-a-bad/) [Jill Smokler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-smokler/) > [“Even if I’m setting myself up for failure, I think it’s worth trying to be a mother who delights in who her children are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/even-if-i-m-setting-myself-up-for-failure-i-think-it-s-worth-trying/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [And that's the insult of it, how always it comes back to a woman being a "good" mother in the world's eyes or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-that-s-the-insult-of-it-how-always-it-comes-back-to-a-woman-being/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Say what you mean to your children and mean exactly what you say about them to the world while keeping in mind they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-pickett/say-what-you-mean-to-your-children-and-mean-exactly-what-you-say/) Fay Pickett > [I think that an author who speaks about his own books is almost as bad as a mother who talks about her own children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/i-think-that-an-author-who-speaks-about-his-own-books-is-almost-as/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [It was always me and my sister against the big bad world. The world was bad because of our mother. Now that she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-always-me-and-my-sister-against-the-big-bad-world-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Good mothers make all kinds of choices. Making a decision that might sound selfish does not make a woman a bad mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jada-pinkett-smith/good-mothers-make-all-kinds-of-choices-making-a-decision-that-might/) [Jada Pinkett Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jada-pinkett-smith/) > [In reality the world is as full of bad mothers as it is of bad fathers, and it is not the motherless children who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/in-reality-the-world-is-as-full-of-bad-mothers-as-it-is-of-bad/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [Around a third of parents still worry that they will look like a bad mother or father if their child has a mental health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-middleton/around-a-third-of-parents-still-worry-that-they-will-look-like-a-bad/) [Kate Middleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-middleton/) > [I love my husband more than I love my children,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/i-love-my-husband-more-than-i-love-my-children/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [Wanna know something I don't like?? Little girls that have a wonderful home and a loving mother!! And they get EVERYTHING they ask for!!!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisha/wanna-know-something-i-don-t-like-little-girls-that-have-a-wonderful/) [Alisha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisha/) > [“Fear is at the root of so many of the barriers that women face. Fear of not being liked. Fear of making the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/fear-is-at-the-root-of-so-many-of-the-barriers-that-women-face-fear/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) [Browse all 55 Bad mother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-mother/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Social expectations about what constitutes a good or a bad mother haunt every decision, and the rise of the parental advice industry ensures that moms and dads feel inadequate at every turn.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jessica Valenti" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-expectations-about-what-constitutes-a-good-or-a-bad-mother/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad mother" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-expectations-about-what-constitutes-a-good-or-a-bad-mother/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/jessica-valenti-1960_bad-mother_social-expectations-about-what-constitut_449589.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/jessica-valenti-1960_bad-mother_social-expectations-about-what-constitut_449589.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28f/jessica-valenti-1960_bad-mother_social-expectations-about-what-constitut_449589.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Social expectations about what constitutes a good or a bad mother haunt every decision, and the rise of the…” — Jessica Valenti", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jessica Valenti", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Social expectations about what constitutes a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-expectations-about-what-constitutes-a-good-or-a-bad-mother/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-expectations-about-what-constitutes-a-good-or-a-bad-mother/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```