Motherhood and Media

NOTE: This blog entry contains plot points for several horror films that may be considered spoilers. Some of these films include Psycho, The Shining, The Others, The Babadook, and Barbarian. Read at your own risk.  From The Babadook (2014) Outside of October, I don't typically watch horror movies; I'm a wimp, and jump scares work on me far too well. But Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays, so at least one horror novel or film feels essential to the season.  Despite my somewhat-squeamish nature, I also thought a horror film would be a nice break from obsessing about motherhood. After all, not only am I taking care of my now seven-month-old all day during the week, but I've also been recently reading The Montessori Baby and Raising Your Spirited Baby.  That's a lot of baby-focusing, so I decided that turning on the new 2022 horror film Barbarian would be a change of theme.  Imagine my surprise when it wasn't! I'll try and keep this spoiler-light in ...

Lately, my little guy has refused to nap unless he's "contact napping" (an official-sounding parenting term that essentially means "lying entirely on top of Mommy"). So, to make sure he gets in anything even resembling a nap, I play the role of mattress for a couple hours a day. Because of this, I've been able to catch up on some recently airing shows. And I can now tell you that it's rather surreal watching the ruthlessness of House of the Dragon  while cuddling a sleeping baby. But what's even stranger is that this show has turned out to be all about mothers.  For better and for worse.