We live in a culture that praises the strong mom.
The one who keeps going.
Who holds everything together.
Who doesn’t fall apart.
But what if that version of strength is costing us something?
In a recent episode of Authentic Parenting, I spoke with Rebecca Thompson, family physician and author of Held Together: A Shared Memoir of Motherhood, Medicine, and Imperfect Love – Navigating Grief and Joy Through Women’s Diverse Journeys to Parenthood, Family, and Community. Our conversation moved beyond the usual narratives about resilience and motherhood and into something more honest.
We talked about the quiet pressure many mothers carry to stay composed, to manage everyone’s needs, to appear strong even when life feels overwhelming.
And we explored a different possibility: what if vulnerability is not weakness, but a deeper kind of strength?
One of the most meaningful ideas from our conversation is this: grief and joy are not opposites. They often exist side by side. In the same day. Sometimes in the same moment.
Many parents carry private grief around infertility, pregnancy loss, complicated family-building journeys, or simply the emotional weight of raising children in a complicated world. And yet, alongside that grief, there are also moments of love, laughter, and ordinary joy.
Both can be true.
In this conversation, we explore:
• Why the cultural myth of the “strong mom” can leave women feeling isolated
• The important difference between pity and compassion and why curiosity is the foundation of real support
• The tension between privacy and oversharing in today’s culture
• How grief and joy can coexist in the same parenting experience
• Why being witnessed in your story can be deeply healing
• How remembering the long view of parenting helps us navigate the day-to-day messiness
We also talk about something simple but powerful: learning to notice the small moments that sustain us; walking outside, feeling the air on your face, pausing long enough to take in something beautiful.
Because parenting isn’t just about getting through the hard moments.
It’s about allowing ourselves to experience the full range of being human.
If you’ve ever felt like you had to carry more than you could say out loud…
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re allowed to feel both sorrow and gratitude at the same time…
This conversation is for you.
You may not have to hold everything together alone.
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