From the crazy mom characters to the silly scenarios they found themselves in, I found myself as a mom really relating to so many moments in Moms’ Night Out.
So when critics recently came out against the movie, I was completely caught off guard. I couldn’t think of one way in which the movie “never takes the difficulties of motherhood seriously.” I decided to look further into it and checked out the Rotten Tomatoes website. According to them, only 15% of critics enjoyed it while an overwhelming 86% of the general audience loved it.
The main concern of the critics seemed to be that the movie was suggesting that “a woman’s place is in the home, not out on the town.” As soon as I read that, I thought to myself that the last thing we needed was to pit working moms against non-working moms. A mom is a mom—whether she is a stay at home mom or works in an office. Through different seasons of life, I have found myself in both places; sometimes my office has been the traditional cubicle with a desk and a stack of papers, like now. Other times, my office has been the floor of my living room with a stack of laundry on my left, kids playing on my right, and cheerios in my hair.
The truth is that both situations are challenging, and both types of moms need rest—a Moms’ Night Out! And whether you are working or not working your night out looks the same because we are all moms with kids that may or may not go wild when we are away. In the movie, Allie is a stay at home mom but Bridget is actually at work when she discovers her baby is missing. So, I really don’t see why whether the moms in the movie work or not is even a point for discussion because both types of moms are represented.
The focus of Moms’ Night Out was never meant to be whether moms should stay at home or not. Rather, the focus was meant to be on how crazy yet fulfilling a life of parenting truly is for all moms.
Ultimately, I’m continually encouraged to see so many moms raving about the movie, saying things like, “This was an exceptional movie! It portrayed women the way we really are, NORMAL! It had a great message, about how we as moms don’t have to be perfect, we are just called to be ourselves.”
So if you’d like to join me in supporting Moms’ Night Out, take a break and go see it in theaters this weekend!
I think I’m going to go for the third time!
