On a scale of one to Hamlet, how badly do you need a mom?
A recent service called “Need a Mom” allows people to purchase a temporary mom for $40 an hour. Someone who can listen to your problems, help you cook, tell you her opinions about that boy Johnny who has had his eye on you, the typical tropes of the stereotypical mother.
Nina Keneally created the service after discovering the need of the younger generation to have someone be there for them when people’s actual parents aren’t close by or available to help out.
In theory, it’s a really good idea. People crave communication. They want someone to tell them what they’re doing is right and that they can handle whatever life throws at them.
Crying into the arms of someone who is willing to help is a lot better than the alternative: ordering a large, extra cheese pizza, telling it all your problems and then falling asleep after going through three quarters of it. Everyone’s been there, but that doesn’t mean it’s what best for you.
Yet fake love isn’t love. Forty dollars doesn’t buy you actual love. To her, it is a job; you are a customer. If you are in need of a mother, then search for those in your own life who can be there for you the way a mother can.
This isn’t restricted to the woman who gave birth to you. Sometimes the best family for you is the one you find. It could be a grandparent, a close family friend, someone who can be there for you during your lows, give you advice during the good times and is always willing to greet you with a smile. Forty bucks can’t really get you that.
Keneally’s site has grabbed a lot of attention since its creation and a television show may be in the works. This may seem like a good idea: show a woman going to people in need, helping them with their problems in 30 minutes or less throw in a couple of commercials for Glade and you’ve got yourself a hit. This isn’t necessarily the message we want to send to people. You can’t buy love to make you feel better.
What is it like to spend time with a parent? It is someone who is going to pick you up when you fail, push you forward when you can’t move and wipe your tears when they drown your eyes. That love is not something that can be purchased and it’s certainly not something that can be faked.
Being a parent is also an amazing feeling. Having someone look up to you, depend on you, even on days when the kid is dumb or loud or just being a pain is a rewarding feeling. There are few things in this world that compare to looking into their eyes and feeling their love. Why take that feeling away from someone close to you and give it to some random woman?
The site is a good idea and can be helpful for those in need of advice, but be sure to reach out to those around you first. Again, this doesn’t mean someone has to be your flesh and blood, just someone you see as a parent, a guardian or a friend. Forty dollars isn’t worth missing out on actual love.
