9 famous moms on momshaming: ‘Show a little respect’

Image: Mark Groeneveld

Mom shaming is not okay. Well-known mothers, such as Kimberley Klaver, Kirsten Schilder and Kelly Beukers, regularly receive annoying comments or unsolicited advice.

That’s why Kek Mama fights with mom bracing for a world where mothers support each other instead of tearing each other down. On Instagram, famous mothers candidly tell about their experience with mom shaming and they make an urgent appeal: be a little nicer to each other. We list a number of responses.

Kirsten Schilder

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more insecure about anything than motherhood. From the moment Nikki was placed with me I felt an indescribable sense of responsibility. And I thought that was terrifying.” She shouts: “Stop momshaming, go for mombracing!” Kirsten recently opened a booklet about motherhood in Kek Mama.

Angela Timisela

“Look at them my girls! Chels is still comfortable in bed with Faan and me, she is now 2 years old. And sometimes Chlo joins us and the four of us lie down. We like that! My message is: always do what works for you/you as a family.” Want to take a look at Angela’s life? In this Kek Mama vlog she takes you along.

Renée van der Schoot

“I regularly put Max in front of a screen when I take a shower or when I’m tired. so what? He learns from it and is happier than ever. […] We all do it in our own way and try to do what is best for our offspring. No one else really has anything to say about that. Mum knows best. Always.”

Kelly Beukers

“The more you share on social media, the more comments you’ll get in your DM or under a post. ‘Do you put your children in front of the TV for that long?!’ ‘Aren’t they potty trained yet?!’ ‘Can’t they do this/that yet?!’. […] Motherhood is hard enough… so let’s be kind to each other!”

Kimberley Clover

Kek Mama columnist Kimberley Klaver recently came across the ‘mother mafia’ when she walked in the park with her sons. “How do some people get it in their head to just bring someone down without any knowledge of a person or situation?”

Also read: ‘My child almost always gets a jar’: 11 x your So What moments

Graziella ten Veen

“I don’t understand what it is with women/mothers, why criticize each other like that? Who or what will be happy about that? In that context, Kek Mama has started a campaign, mombracing, so that we prefer to be for each other, live and let live and instead of putting someone else down, we grow together!” Want to know more about her life as a triplets mother? She talks about it in this interview.

Bibi and Lotte Telleman

“We like to share our story to muse about parenthood and to hear how others approach things. That’s why we love Kek Mama’s mombracing campaign. Let’s say it more often if you notice that a parent shares something nice, surprising, good or brave.”

Kimberly Kiki

Influencer Kimberly Kik was bombarded with negative reactions after her Kek Mama vlog, in which she says that her two-year-old daughter gets pierced ears. “The bigger your account sometimes, the more opinions. And that’s okay, but show a little respect! Luckily I have lovely followers, that’s not the issue. It’s a different story on Facebook… it really wasn’t nice there. But hey, still standing.”

Victoria Koblenko

Actress Victoria Koblenko also received a lot of criticism: people thought it was impossible that she did not want to give her sick son Kiy paracetamol when he had a fever. †The mother mafia is back. […] Don’t get me wrong, in case of pain or with a persistent fever I also reach for it, but until then I start with vinegar, potato slices or lemons in the socks.”

77% of mothers in the Netherlands have to deal with mom shaming, according to research by Kek Mama. With mombracing we fight for a world in which mothers support each other instead of tearing each other down. The brand new Kek Mama Special is therefore all about mom bracing.