What are “bad parents” confessing?
It seems that part of the “bad parent” trend is simply a reaction against expectations, or perceived expectations, of what it means to be a good parent. One class of “sins” commonly confessed by “bad parents” are formula feeding (and disliking breastfeeding), feeding kids junk food, and letting their kids watch lots of TV. A second class of “sins” that Kristina Sauerwein names in Fortunately its chic to be a bad mom includes telling vulgar tales about cartoon characters, yelling profanity, being driven crazy by your kids, and delighting in the public disgrace of “holier-than-thou” parents. Why aren’t “bad parents” ashamed? The dynamic of the whole movement is that what “bad parents” are confessing they don’t perceive as really bad; they contend it is just normal. What is abnormal, they say, is that parents will open up and admit it. Considering the two classes of “sins” above, they can be broadly divided into health/development and virtue/taboo. In the health and development category,
