How Millennial Moms Are Changing Motherhood | Katherine Wintsch

How Millennial Moms Are Changing Motherhood | Katherine Wintsch
3/16/15, 9:32 AM
iOS app (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-huffington-post/id306621789?mt=8)
Desktop Alerts
Log in
Create Account
Android app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.huffingtonpost.android&hl=en)
More (/big-news/#parents)
March 16, 2015
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/parents)
Edition: U.S.
Like
734k
Follow
Newsletters
Huffington Post Search
FRONT PAGE
HEALTHY LIVING
TEEN
WOMEN
(HTTP://WWW.HUFFINGTONPOST.COM) (HTTP://WWW.HUFFINGTONPOST.COM/HEALTHY- (HTTP://WWW.HUFFINGTONPOST.COM/TEEN/) (HTTP://WWW.HUFFINGTONPOST.COM/W
Parents (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/parents/) • Moms (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-moms/) • Dads (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-dads/)
LIVING/)
• Pregnancy (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-pregnancy/) • Babies (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-babies/)
• Toddlers (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-toddlers/) • Kids (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-kids/)
• Teens (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-teens/) • Global Motherhood (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/global-motherhood/)
• Back To School (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-back-to-school/) • Third Metric (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/third-metric/)
• Healthy Kids (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/parents-healthy-kids/) • Love Matters (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/love-matters/)
Safari Power Saver
Click to Start Flash Plug-in
HOT ON THE BLOG
Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from
HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors
Maria Shriver
Mika Brzezinski
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mikashriver/help-me-wipe-out-
brzezinski/syria-one-
alzheimers-
womans-
now_b_6876890.html?
story_1_b_6872474.html?
utm_hp_ref=Parents)
utm_hp_ref=Parents)
Dr. Peggy Drexler
Stedman Graham
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peggy(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stedmandrexler/mean-people-suck-
graham/passion-with-a-
but-they-are-often-
purposefro_b_6839142.html?
successful_b_6867734.html? utm_hp_ref=Parents)
utm_hp_ref=Parents)
Katherine Wintsch (/katherine-wintsch/)
Become a
(/users/login/)
(http://twitter.com/kwintsch)
fan (/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_Katherine Wintsch)
Founder & CEO: The Mom Complex
How Millennial Moms Are Changing Motherhood
Posted: 05/28/2013 11:56 am EDT
Updated: 07/28/2013 5:12 am EDT
18 (javscript:void(0))
ADVERTISEMENT
Safari Power Saver
Click to Start Flash Plug-in
Like
8
Share
(https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fkatherine-wintsch%2Fhow-
10
millennial-moms-are-c_b_3319578.html)
Tweet
(https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?
0
lang=en&text=How+Millennial+Moms+Are+Changing+Motherhood+http%3A%2F%2Fhuff.to%2F18qwh9g)
(http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?
0
media=&description=How+Millennial+Moms+Are+Changing+Motherhood&url=http%3A//www.huffingtonpost.com/katherineComment
wintsch/how-millennial-moms-are-c_b_3319578.html)
The old childhood cadence is familiar:
"Sally and Johnny sitting in tree, k-i-s-s-in-g..."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-wintsch/how-millennial-moms-are-c_b_3319578.html
Page 1 of 4
How Millennial Moms Are Changing Motherhood | Katherine Wintsch
For generations, the path to domestic bliss
was pretty clearly mapped out for young
women. Study hard, go to college, fall in
love and get married. Check, check, check,
check. Next up, buy a house in the 'burbs,
get pregnant (twice) and go back to work
when the kids start school. Then, at 62,
retire and become the world's best
grandmother.
And then came the Millennials, the generation between the ages of 18 and 33 that's
taken upon itself to rewrite the book on finding fulfillment. In this new version, the
only "right" path is the one that leads to happiness.
Millennials are not only changing what constitutes family, they're shifting popular
opinion. More than four in five (http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/11/18/thedecline-of-marriage-and-rise-of-new-families/) Millennials say that two parents
(married or unmarried, gay or straight) constitute a family. To these moms, the
nuclear family is becoming more of the exception than the rule.
These attitudinal shifts are visible in every aspect of the Millennials' life, and the work
place is no different. In fact, career
(http://www.careeradvisoryboard.org/public/uploads/2011/10/Executive-SummaryThe-Future-of-Millennial-Careers.pdf) is among the Millennials' top five life goals
(the only generation of moms to say so) and helps give her a sense of identity other
than "mom."
But these examples of living life "out of order" don't simply amount to a demographic
shift. It's symbolic of a larger movement that celebrates pragmatism over perfection,
replacing the idea of June Cleaver with a more attainable, realistic you. In fact,
Millennial moms give themselves a "B" at balancing the demands of motherhood.
They embrace the motto that it's perfectly ok to be imperfect.
Growing up, my parents, like most, just wanted my brother and me to be happy. And
yet, as I found success (and what others described as happiness) at work, I felt guilt
over the decisions I was making for my family and doubt about how I stacked up
against other moms.
As I watch the framework for motherhood change right in front of me, I can say with
great certainty that these moms are happy, and it's not because they're comparing
their decisions to mine. I only hope that my children take a page out of the Millennial
playbook by approaching parenthood on their own terms. I'll be curious to see how
my experience and well wishes for their happiness shape their definition of
fulfillment.
How do you think the Millennial motherhood re-boot will shape the next generation
of mothers?
3/16/15, 9:32 AM
Search for a baby name..
Or search with the options below
girl
familiar
Meaning :
boy
popular
either
unusual
sweet
Origin :
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
search
SUGGESTED FOR YOU
1. Hilary Duff's Bikini Selfie Is For
All The Moms Out There
an hour ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post AOL Forex Cavan
Sieczkowski Cavan Sieczkowski
Most Popular on HuffPost
2. Jessica Alba Doesn't Look Like
This Anymore
21 hours ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL) Lauren Zupkus Lauren
Zupkus Most Popular on HuffPost
3. Bikini'd Kate Hudson Hits The
Beach With Chris Martin
Follow Katherine Wintsch on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kwintsch
(http://www.twitter.com/kwintsch)
MORE: Motherhood, Modern Parenting, Parenting , Millennials, Millennial Moms, Millennial Parents
16 hours ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post AOL Forex Lauren
Zupkus Lauren Zupkus Most Popular
on HuffPost
4. This Is What's Ruining The
World's Sleep -- And It's Not Our
Technology Addiction
3 days ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL) Alena Hall Alena Hall Most
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-wintsch/how-millennial-moms-are-c_b_3319578.html
Page 2 of 4
How Millennial Moms Are Changing Motherhood | Katherine Wintsch
3/16/15, 9:32 AM
(AOL) Alena Hall Alena Hall Most
Popular on HuffPost
5. Sean Hannity Interviewed A
Ferguson Protestor. It Didn't End
Well.
You May Like
1.
12 Celebs Who Came Out Of The Closet 2
months ago wplol.us WPLOL wplol.us chec chec (sponsored) Celebrities
2.
From Hot to Heavy: Celebrities Who Got Fat a
month ago slickamericans.com Slick Americans SlickAmericans.com
(sponsored)
2 days ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL) Katie Sola Katie Sola Most
Popular on HuffPost
6. Nothing Sums Up British Humor
Like This
3 days ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL)
7. Woman Running For Mayor
Decapitated In Mexico
Sponsored Links
LifeLock® Official Site
3. Comprehensive Protection With
13 LifeLock
Movie Legends
UltimateWho
Plus™
Died Too Early 2
LifeLock.com
American Express Travel
Explore Great Travel Offers When Booking With American Express.
americanexpress.com/Travel
4 days ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL) Most Popular on HuffPost
8. Cabela, The Dog Shot And Tied To
Train Tracks, Gets Outpouring Of
Support During Recovery
New Rule in Virginia
If you drive in Virginia, this hidden rule can save you $347/yr..
www.SmartWaysToLive.com
Buy a link here
19 hours ago huffingtonpost.com The
Huffington Post HuffingtonPost.com
(AOL) Leigh Weingus Leigh
Weingus Most Popular on HuffPost
9. Padma Lakshmi: "I missed a week
of my life for 23 years"
FOLLOW HUFFPOST
Email Address
The Morning Email
Sign me up!
Parents
Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-wintsch/how-millennial-moms-are-c_b_3319578.html
Page 3 of 4
How Millennial Moms Are Changing Motherhood | Katherine Wintsch
3/16/15, 9:32 AM
Huffington Post Search
Advertise (Http://Advertising.aol.com/Brands/Huffington-Post)
Log In (/Users/Login/)
RSS (/Syndication)
Make HuffPost Your Home Page (/Makehome/)
Careers (/Jobs/)
User Agreement (/Terms.html)
FAQ (/Faq/)
Privacy (Http://Privacy.aol.com/)
Comment Policy (/Comment/Policy/)
About Us (/P/Huffington-Post.html)
About Our Ads (Http://Adinfo.aol.com/About-Our-Ads/)
Copyright ©2015 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
Contact Us (/Contact/)
"The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Part of AOL Family
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-wintsch/how-millennial-moms-are-c_b_3319578.html
Page 4 of 4