There Goes the Motherhood
Reality show buries solid parenting messages within drama.
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There Goes the Motherhood
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that There Goes the Motherhood is a reality show about moms that features lots of argumentative behavior, sexual talk, and drinking. Its main themes are mature, including child raising, balancing marital relationships, and divorce. Curses (sometimes uttered by children) are bleeped, but the word "bitch" is audible. The Mom Assembly mother's group is prominently featured as the women get together and talk about parenting.
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What's the Story?
THERE GOES THE MOTHERHOOD is a reality series about the members of a high-end parenting group in Southern California. It features Jill Spivack, a therapist and founder of Mom Assembly, one of the most coveted mommy groups in the greater Los Angeles area. The moms, including free-spirit mom Meghan Conroy-Resich; Beth Fair, who used to sing with Fergie; old-school mom Leah Forester; recently separated Alisa Starler; divorced mom Jen Bush; and soon-to-be-divorced mom Beth Bowen meet once a week for eight weeks to discuss the joys and difficulties that come with being a mom. From talking about their various parenting styles to the many challenges they face on a daily basis, the women try to find some support among each other. But the relationship between them isn't always smooth, which only adds more drama to their already full lives.
Is It Any Good?
This reality series features privileged moms who are negotiating the common (but no less difficult) challenges that come with motherhood. Like many women, they struggle with discipline, finding time for oneself while balancing the needs of others, and feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated. However, like most Bravo reality fare, much of the show concentrates on the relationship drama among the women themselves and, on occasion, their spouses.
Parents will identify with the universal parenting challenges identified here, while the messages about how women's lives change after having children will resonate with mothers from all walks of life. But the cast also comes from a world of privilege, which they often don't recognize, that puts them in a category of their own. This disconnect makes it hard to take some of these women seriously but also buries empowering messages about women and parenting that it has the potential to offer.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the joys and challenges of being a mom. How does being a mother change women's lives? Who determines the right way (and wrong way) to raise their kids? For example, if moms (or dads) curse, smoke, or drink in front of their kids, does that automatically make them bad parents?
Do you think reality shows such as this one offer a real look at what moms do every day? What is being a mom like in your house?
TV Details
- Premiere date: April 20, 2016
- Cast: Jill Spivack, Beth Bowen, Jen Bush
- Network: Bravo
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: October 14, 2022
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