Labelling can sell us short

WHAT kind of mum are you? Are you the corporate mum, the hippie, the helper, the fitspo mum or the mean mum?

Within my circle of friends, I know some mums who clearly fit these categories, such as fitspo and hippie. But like me, most of my friends dabble a little in each category ... all except the mean mum, of course.

The thing is though, I am not a fan of labels. It is easy to categorise people so some of us can possibly better understand the world … but is it fair?

I like to keep things simple and just call them “people”. Because if we go down the labelling path, all sorts of assumptions start to be made.

For me, this approach has paid back with surprising facts I’ve learnt about people. Facts that had I assumed they were “too perfect” or “too hippie” or “too fit” for me, than I could have missed out on funny moments, camaraderie or a potential new friendship. The crux of this week’s

Northern Family is schoolyards where the mums, in particular, become anxious and insecure based on stereotypes.

Personally, it hasn’t been an issue. I haven’t seen, or choose not to see, evidence of nasty behaviour going on outside the school gates between parents, because really, the bullying, name-calling and immature behaviour should be left behind once the schooling years are done, or hopefully during.

If anything, my life has been enriched by the funny, kind and smart “people” I’ve met.