It’s interesting how curious we are about whether women have children, especially is she is being recognized for an accomplishment that has nothing to do with children. She could cure cancer and her uterus would somehow still be relevant to the conversation.

So, why the curiosity? I think it’s because motherhood is revered to a degree that makes it impossible to ignore. At a basic level, it’s recognition for moms, similar to recognition at a job or in any other role that a woman plays in society. At the extreme, reverence is a creepy exaltation and glorification of the role of Motherhood. Those who live kidfree hear it all the time: “you’d be a great mom!” as if it’s the most valuable contribution we can possibly make and the highest honor to which we would be crazy not to aspire.

People are revered for two potential reasons: fear or awe, with reverence for moms deriving from the latter. And the reason people are in awe of mothers, is because on some level, we acknowledge how much motherhood can really suck sometimes, and we admire their ability and willingness to embrace and endure the suck.

The thing is, reverence doesn’t work in moms’ favor, and in fact, it works against them where it really matters. It doesn’t benefit kidfree women either, as it is frequently weaponized against us.

This episode exorcizes the reverence of motherhood. It’s a doozie, you should totally listen, and your mom friends should too.