Motherhood is Funny as F*ck (and hard as f*ck too)

Ali Wong in her Netflix special Baby Cobra

When I was pregnant with my first son, there were not a lot of "pregnancy-truthers" out there. Pregnant women at that time were still led down a primrose path, encouraged to believe that pregnancy and new motherhood was basically the real-life equivalent of a Snapchat floral crown filter.

People would ask me how it felt being pregnant, and I would be met with confused or horrified faces when I told them the truth ... I hated it. "Just give me the baby, I like the baby part!" I would say, half joking and all the way serious. The only thing that I enjoyed about being pregnant was feeling them move and kick, but even that lost its charm once those darling little fetuses figured out how to pummel my bladder and ribs.

I didn't like the attention my pregnant body brought. The endless advice and words of wisdom from well-meaning and smug strangers alike were more than my soubrette sensibilities could bear. As someone who is always eternally struggling with weight, pregnancy also became another way for me to woefully obsess about the scale. Oh yeah, and not to mention the fact that I almost died during my last pregnancy, a reality people either don't know or don't take into account when they inquire about whether or not I'll try for another child. Fuck no!

That's why I'm so, so grateful for all of the comediennes, celebrities and regular moms alike that aren't afraid to talk about the realities of motherhood these days. This year I was gifted with both Amy Schumer's hilarious SNL skits about motherhood (The Day You Were Born), as well as Ali Wong's Hard Knock Wife stand-up Netflix special (a follow-up to her also hilarious Baby Cobra special). If you haven't seen Ali's work, you're in for a treat because in both of her specials, a pregnant belly doesn't stop her from being animated, crass and brutally honest. Internet memer's like Scary Mommy also do a great job of helping us laugh at ourselves, in spite of all of the awful crap that comes along with motherhood.

Another piece of mothering media that came out just in time for Mother's Day was a movie called Tully, starring Charlize Theron, which, I probably won't see. Full disclosure, I've already spoiled it for myself, but I won't spoil it for you. But from what I gather, it shows the gritty side of motherhood that we all experience, but probably without the laugh-out-loud comedy to temper it that we desperately need. I've lived through all of those dark days of early babyhood; and watching it all play out on the silver screen won't be fun or cathartic for me.

Motherhood can feel really lonely, full of drudgery and self-doubt. It's the price you pay for creating new humans. So if Pinterest-perfect families, Instagram-inspiring moms or a know-it-all lady at the grocery store has got you feeling down, remember, you're not alone. None of us really know what we are doing, most of us could use a nap, and all of us could use a laugh.

Now, go watch something funny!