Favourite product: BAD MOM

‍Silke Schröckert is a journalist, presenter, book author and mother of two. She writes for children, parents and grandparents. Your heart projects are the portals enkelkind.de and hello-oma.de. Her second big passion is filming. This is how she recently hosted the program with husband Daniel Schröckert Movie gorillas on ZDF. She has now published her second book: “BAD MOM”. In it, Silke writes — as usual with lots of humor — about being a mom and how she decided to become a bad mother in order to be the best for her children!

Away from perfectionism

Before pregnancy, we make a lot of plans, want to make everything perfect when the child is there, only to finally realize that this is not the point at all. And that is Silke's intention: With her book, she shows that it is not at all important to conjure up the best cake or to cook the healthiest baby food, but that parents and children are happy. One requires the other. But the road there is often a rocky one: “I wanted to be better than the white washing and filter boiling radiant mothers that I had seen in TV commercials in the 80s and 90s,” says Silke about her demands on herself before the children were born.

Shortly after, she comes up with the Insta Moms, who are skilfully staging their pregnancy test and preparing the baby food themselves — in a completely tidy kitchen, of course. Very few mothers can identify with this type of perfectionism, but it also increases the pressure. I want to do it at least as well, if not even better! But the image of the perfect mother is not only conveyed via social media — but also through personal experiences: “My mother even accompanied my class on a class trip for a week in the fourth grade,” writes Silke. In addition, she balanced job and family — demands that you also make for yourself as a mother (but often do not live up to in the hustle and bustle of everyday life).

From birthday cakes and table decorations

Even though Silke herself probably doesn't know exactly why the table decoration and cake were so important to her on her son's first birthday: 98% of all mothers most likely feel the same way — especially with their first child — wanting to make everything perfect. Well, I didn't manage to “just” photograph the table decoration without my child (because I really take pictures), but the idea alone makes me laugh. In return, I baked healthy banana cake that no one wanted to eat in the end. That's where I can reassure Silke — baking and cooking aren't my strengths either 😉. So kudos that she even dared to go for an elaborate Christmas dinner with goose and the like and that with the little one in the background (I wouldn't even trust myself to do that without it). Fortunately, you can order both goose and tarts online — and pancakes as a ready-to-bake mix!

Stress is transferred to the child

Silke describes with a lot of humor how she decided to take the postnatal course without a child and stop weaning. Who doesn't know that? When the child screams, a woman falls into stress and forgets everything else around her. That must have been Silke's first postnatal course. Now I also know why our midwife insisted on not coming even with the first child. This allowed me to fully concentrate on “riding an elevator.” I also vividly remember the pain of breastfeeding and feeling uncomfortable in public. That's why I agree with Silke: When the baby is doing well, mom is also relaxed. The best way to do this is with the backup bottle on the go 😉 — just in case!

Even watching TV for a long time is ok

Screen time — but please only in doses. That doesn't always work! Silke discovered this during the pandemic, when she herself lay flat with a positive test and symptoms and Mina was already bored at 7:47 in the morning. Paw Patrol is also allowed on a continuous loop as long as mom is feeling better after a long nap. And during the pandemic, media time — I would say — has increased among all families.

Mommy good, all good

At the end of the book, Silke deals with the concept of motherhood. It describes the process in which a woman develops into a mother. Good to know that there are different phases of development not only among our children 😉. Silke states: “My motherhood took a long time. To be honest, I think it's still ongoing.” And I feel the same way: Being a mom requires persistence time and again — no matter what phase your child is in right now. And I'll say that almost every mother feels the same way that she first has to find herself in her role and learn new things over and over again. With the second child, you know roughly what's in store for you and see a lot more relaxed. Ultimately, it's about staying true to yourself, creating memorable moments and not neglecting yourself. Taking time off brings new energy — I also do that regularly with my husband. It is also important to let go and trust your grandparents. They do things differently, but they have everything under control!

Conclusion

There are sooo many situations in the book that I find myself in. And Silke describes each chapter with so much humor that I often had to smile to myself. Leo, who has completed his first English lessons at school, asked me while on vacation: “Mom, why are you reading a book called “bad mom”? “My answer to that: “Because even mums can't always do everything right! “And that's what it's about: The book is an appeal to all mothers not to always want to have to do everything perfectly. Letting go and doing something for yourself is completely okay and ultimately benefits the children. Mommy good, it's all good!