3 Motherhood Cultural Shifts I’m Here For

Motherhood has a way of reshaping you in both expected and unexpected ways.

Some shifts feel deeply personal, like the quiet realization that you are changing alongside your children. And some shifts feel cultural, like noticing the narratives around motherhood that get repeated again and again, often without question.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the stories we’ve inherited about what it means to be a “good mom,” and which ones I’m ready to leave behind.

Here are three motherhood cultural shifts I’m fully here for.

1. Moving Away from Motherhood as the Entire Identity

Motherhood is an important part of my identity. One of the most important, actually. But it is not my entire identity.

I am also a person with hobbies, interests, opinions, friendships, and dreams that exist outside of my children and my family unit.

And honestly, the memes that joke about moms having no hobbies except attending youth sports games and practices don’t really make me laugh—they make me pause.

Because I know that for many women, that is not just a joke. It is their lived experience.

But I also want to gently push on that narrative.

I believe in a both/and approach.

As mothers, we can love our children deeply, show up for their interests, and be fully present in their lives and still make space for our own identities to exist and grow.

Those two things are not in competition. In fact, I think they strengthen each other.

When we allow ourselves to have interests and experiences outside of motherhood, we recharge parts of ourselves that often get depleted. And in doing so, we also show our children something powerful: what it looks like to live a full, multidimensional life.

2. No Longer Racing Through the Day Without Intention

There are undeniably busy seasons of motherhood.

School drop-offs and pick-ups. Work responsibilities. Caring for a home. Maintaining relationships with a partner. Staying connected to friends. Managing activities, appointments, meals, and everything in between.

The list is long and for many families, it never really stops moving.

But I’m no longer interested in just racing through it all on autopilot.

Because even within full, busy days, we actually do have more agency than it sometimes feels like. We may not control every obligation, but we do get to choose how we move through the day.

And there are almost always small pockets of time that belong to us if we’re willing to claim them.

For me, it’s 15 quiet minutes in the morning before the rest of my house wakes up.

Some days that is the only uninterrupted time I get. But that small window matters more than it seems.

It’s where I remember who I am outside of the logistics of the day. It’s where I reset my energy, reconnect with myself, and remind myself that how I move through my day is a choice, even when the day is full.

That shift alone has changed how I experience motherhood more than I can fully explain.

3. Parenting Like a 90s Parent Instead of a Pinterest Parent

This one feels especially freeing.

For me, what matters most in parenting is connection, ease, and comfort in our everyday life together. So I’m not trying to optimize every moment or turn every experience into something curated or picture-perfect.

Instead, I’m very intentionally parenting a little more like it’s the 90s again.

Birthday parties are simple: pizza, a store-bought cake (or a Funfetti box cake if that’s what we have), and the child’s favorite people. No elaborate themes, no elaborate decorations, no overcomplicated goodie bags. Just joy, laughter, and being together.

Lunches and snacks are not aesthetic bento boxes or carefully cut-out animal shapes. They are balanced, practical, and—most importantly—foods my kids will actually eat.

At home, we lean into what we already have and love: forts in the living room, backyard sports, puzzles, board games, movie nights, and toys that don’t need to be replaced every time a new trend shows up.

There is a quiet freedom in not trying to make everything “Pinterest-worthy.”

And maybe most importantly, I don’t expect to be everything for my children.

They have teachers, coaches, friends, extended family, community members, all of whom play a role in their lives. That reality doesn’t diminish my role; it strengthens it.

It allows me to show up as a parent without the pressure of being the entire world for them.

And honestly, that’s been one of the most grounding realizations of all.

Motherhood is always evolving. So are we.

And I think there’s something powerful about choosing the versions of motherhood that feel more spacious, more sustainable, and more aligned with who we are becoming.

Not perfect. Not performative.

Just honest, connected, and fully lived.

If any of this resonated, hi! I’m Kristen, Co-Founder of Inclyousion Sports. Mother of 3. You can learn more about my story here :)