THE MOTHER OF ALL MEMES

SERIOUSLY, IT’S TIME TO LIGHTEN UP AND RAISE A GLASS TO WINE MUMS EVERYWHERE

If you are a mother, two things are certain:

1. You have a child (or plural) and

2. You have sent or received some sort of meme, gif, text, photo or perhaps even a greeting card or merchandise referencing wine, being a wine mum or solving your problems with ... yep, wine.

THE ‘WINE MUM’ AESTHETIC IS ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA

Now, for absolute transparency, I have been at both ends of many of these. And personally speaking, they are meant in a lighthearted manner, as a funny token to show a friend or family member some understanding of the reality of parenting.

To me, the idea of a ‘Wine Mum’ (even if you don’t drink wine), is meant as a unifying gesture for mothers everywhere. It’s a nod to the fact motherhood is often f---ing hard and stressful and that because of this, you deserve some R&R, some ‘self-care’, some time to unwind (whatever form that may take).

It is a way to say: “Hey there sister – job well done on getting through that louse infestation”, or, “Cheers, remote learning is finally over!”

Whether you actually consume the wine doesn’t matter (please, feel free to though – no judgment here); it is the meaning behind it that does – the meaning like ‘take some time for yourself – you deserve it.’

And if it is not sent as a lighthearted sign of empathy or of fellow motherly support, it is meant simply, as a joke. I mean all you need to do is read the Urban Dictionary definition to understand that:

Wine Mum: “A middle-aged female (usually a mother) who enjoys drinking a refined, complex red or white wine most likely bought from Whole Foods with her other middle-aged female friends while exchanging neighbourhood gossip.”

Clearly a joke.

IT’S NOT COMEDIC FOR EVERYONE

But it seems there are some people who don’t understand this, and that they want to ruin drinking wine, or the joy of sending a wine mum meme for the rest of us. They want to turn something intended as humour, or as a way to empathise, into something used to condone poor drinking behaviours.

And with this, Wine Mums are now ‘dangerous’. I’ve started to notice a lot of criticism and judgment around mums who enjoy drinking wine and I don’t like it.

Some say that mums are using these ‘inappropriate’ memes and wearing tasteless wine merch as a way to dismiss or gloss over their underlying alcoholic tendencies.

They say Wine Mums are using these crass props to normalise and disguise their liferisking habits, and the behaviour that is also forever tainting their children who witness their role models gulping down one large wine glass of pinot noir after another.

Like a pack of selfindulgent monsters, Wine Mums are out for only one thing and one thing only … wine.

HOWEVER, LET’S REMEMBER THAT ALCOHOL DEPENDENCY IS A BIG ISSUE

All of that being said, alcohol dependency and/or abuse is something the Alcohol and Drug Foundation has revealed as a prevalent issue in Australia and one that is impacting children.

“Parents may not realise that their own behaviours and attitudes around alcohol plays one of the strongest roles in influencing their children’s future behaviours and attitudes towards alcohol,” Alcohol and Drug Foundation CEO, Dr Erin Lalor AM told Kidspot.

DRINK RESPONSIBLY …

And while understanding this issue and mirroring responsible drinking behaviours as parents is critical in combating this issue, it is also important to know that painting every woman and every mother with the same judgmental brush because they drink wine or send a wine mum meme isn’t helping the issue either. (No one likes to be shamed.)

Nor is it fair on those who enjoy a glass of wine with dinner while remaining very sensible, responsible and sober caretakers for children (like moi).

In a world of political correctness, it is easy to get caught up in being critical of … well, anything, but I think there are times it is okay to laugh and to just let something be what it is, a joke.

If we send a gif of the Cool Mum in

Mean Girls enjoying happy hour to a friend it doesn’t mean we are making light of a real issue, or that we have a real issue, it is just what it is, a gif.

So, on that note, I raise my glass of wine, and say “cheers” to all of the ‘Wine Mums’ who are drinking theirs and parenting too – responsibly of course (well the majority of the time at least – joke).