Ah, Pinterest. It’s a mom’s best friend, right? It gives you great ideas for whipping up cute birthday party treats or gifts for your children’s teachers. It shows you how to recycle the seemingly useless garbage that is piling up around your house — like all those mason jars and plastic bags — into something beautiful and purposeful. At the very least, it lets you kill some time between activities or while you’re waiting in line.
As great as Pinterest may seem, it’s time that we all realized one thing: Pinterest is not your friend. Here’s why:
It Can Make You Feel Inadequate
All the projects on Pinterest seem like they are created by a supermom who has unlimited creativity and unlimited talent. When you look at the projects and think about the things you are doing, it may make you feel inadequate. You may start to wonder “Why didn’t I think of that?” or “Why didn’t the last project I created turn out like that?” Compared to the mothers who are responsible for the projects on Pinterest, you may always feel like you are creative enough or you aren’t talented enough.
It Can Instill Discontent
There may be nothing wrong with your pantry shelving or the plain-old functional end table sitting next to your couch. But after an afternoon on Pinterest, you may feel like the things you have just aren’t good enough, and that can cause you to want more. Suddenly, you have an urgent need for color-coordinated fabric bins with chalkboard labels to organized your dry goods, and your life doesn’t seem complete without an Ikea-hacked nail-studded end table with a vintage suitcase for a top.
Pinterest can make it so that you are never satisfied with the things that you have, and that can lead to all kinds of problems.
It Can Make You Feel Like You Need to Do More
Sure, those cute little baby food jars that have been converted into candy jar favors would be great for your daughter’s birthday party. But do you really have an extra couple of hours to put those together — in addition to making the cake and the bunting and the other decorations? Wouldn’t it be easier to pick up a few items from the party store and call it a day?
Pinterest can make you feel like you have to make everything by hand or put your personal stamp on everything you do. You don’t. You’re already a busy mom and ain’t nobody got time for all that.
It Can Cost You Money and Time
Even though you know you shouldn’t add more to your already full plate, Pinterest can make you go ahead and do it anyway. That can make you spend time on projects that you just don’t have, not to mention the money it will take to get the supplies you need. You’ll be stretching yourself and your pocketbook in ways that aren’t healthy.
Pinterest can be a great tool. If you have a business, you can use it to market yourself and get more exposure for your brand. If you’re a busy mom, it can give you ideas for how to save money or do things more simply. But when not used responsibly, Pinterest can easily lead to you overextending yourself or feeling like your talents or your possessions simply aren’t good enough. Treat Pinterest like the toxic friend it is and approach it carefully.
About the Author:
Bridget Sandorford is a freelance food and culinary writer, where recently she’s been researching the culinary institute in Houston. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, painting and working on her first cookbook.
