I’ve seen this study going around on social media that kind of bothers me:

It says mothers get more oxytocin from cuddling their kids and dads get more oxytocin from playing with their kids.

The study itself doesn’t bother me. It’s the hundreds of comments saying:

“I hate playing with my kids. My husband's the fun one, I’m the nurturing one. Good to know it’s just science.”

And my most viral reel? My husband. The world loves a fun dad.

Here’s what the stigma seems to be:

Dads = fun, silly, playful

Moms = nurturing, carrying the mental load, nagging, all the NOT-fun stuff.

That’s some B.S. — sorry, I said it!

Moms, I’m here to tell you: we get to be nurturing AND fun.

“Fun” can be silly and simple. Doesn’t have to be rough-and-tumble.

Example: My son and I used a “magic wand” to freeze and unfreeze each other today and he was squealing with laughter. It’s already been my favorite part of the day.

What are your thoughts on this? Reply and let me know — I’d love to hear!

Love,

Mia

P.S. Here’s a message from a mom yesterday that sparked this email:

“I started using your free ideas for being silly and it has magically diffused so many almost-tense moments. It's made me feel so much more real, relaxed, and not stressed. I always hated that my husband was the "fun one,” but now I feel happy having even fifteen mins of silly time!”

P.P.S. Have you saved that list yet? Here it is: 25 Easy Silly Moments updated.pdf​

P.P.P.S. I'm experimenting with sending short, weekly emails like this to keep in touch with you. I'll still be posting on Instagram, but shifting my focus to be more personal here. That algorithm is crazy and I never know if even 1% of followers will see my content -- so thank you in advance for sticking around! 🙏🏽