I realize this is old news, but I feel compelled to talk about it now.
Tom Cruise recently scolded Brook Shields for using Paxil to help her fight post partum depression, saying that drugs are dangerous and she should have used vitamins to help her get over it.
You smug little egotistical man! First off, I'd like to know what you base your opinion on, seeing as you cannot and have not ever been pregnant, therefore gone through the hormonal rage that happens when you carry and child and give birth. In fact your own children are adopted. Have you ever read what happens to a woman's body during and after pregnancy? Look it up when you have some time, because I assure you, the list is long.
Secondly, what gives you the right to judge another person on something so personal? There is a stigma attached to depression, and taking medication to treat it, and you Sir, are not helping. When I first realized I was depressed and needed help, the thought of taking medication for it never even entered my mind. Thanks to some good friends sharing their experiences with me, I realized there was nothing wrong with taking medication to help you feel better. Hormonal imbalance and depression are based in science and medicine - not in a woman's head. We need to eliminate the stigma so that more woman will seek help. We don't need any more children drowned at their mother's hand because she had no where to turn.
And thirdly, I will have you know that I took and continue to take vitamins. Wonderful little things that they are, they are not the cure-all that you would like them to be. Yes drugs can be dangerous. They can also be life-saving. If you choose to believe that drugs are not the answer, that is fine and dandy with me, but you can not push your beliefs onto others.
Being a mother in the best of circumstances is difficult. Add to that feeling sad, hopeless, frustrated, lacking in energy and motivation, and it's a struggle just to feed your children and put them to bed. I'm tired of motherhood being looked on as typical and every-day. Name one other profession that is more important or more difficult - I dare you! Mothers, whether they are working mothers or stay-at-home mothers, whether they are married or single, need support and resources. It's time to recognize how difficult it is. It's time we raise motherhood up on the pedestal it deserves to be on. I'm not saying we should be worshipped and tiptoed around, but for starters I'd like to see an option for mother on forms asking for occupation! I'm not a housewife, or a homemaker! If I didn't have children at home to raise I certainly wouldn't be sitting around worring about how sparkling-clean my sink is! I'd be working! This is my job - I'm a mother.
Tom Cruise, I suggest you restrict your comments to over-priced Hollywood movie-making, and leave motherhood to those who know.
