Facebook's Motherhood Challenge faces backlash, leaving many people feeling left out

[Photo by Fairfax Media via Getty Images]

In recent years there’s been a few notable Facebook challenges like the ALS Bucket Challenge and the No Make-up Selfie for Cancer Research, that have taken the social media platform by storm.

The most recent one is a viral competition involving moms that’s leaving some people quite upset.

The Facebook Motherhood Challenge asks mothers to post a series of photos that make them “happy to be a mother” and to tag other women who they think are “awesome” mothers.

While some are participating in the challenge, others are airing their frustrations.

One mother on Mumsnet spoke out after she was nominated to post five pictures that make her happy to be a parent.

“So the mothers you didn’t nominate aren’t good mothers in your opinion?!” She wrote. “Honestly do Facebook invent these things to get all these egotistical lemmings to use their site even more?!”

Another mother added: “I seem to be the only one who thinks this is nonsense, and a bit worrying as the number of photos of friends of friends’ children that I’ve seen this weekend is actually scary. It seems insensitive and crass, who needs to post photos to the [Facebook] world that make them happy to be a mother?”

Others have mixed feelings about the challenge.

“Sorry but I do think you are taking it too seriously,” wrote user FanjofortheMammeries, as a response to the backlash. “It’s just an excuse for people to reminisce and post a few pic [pictures] of them with their kids as babies.”

Some people are finding ways to have a bit of fun with the challenge.

[Non-motherhood challenge, photo via Facebook / Ellie Taylor]

Comedian Ellie Taylor took to Facebook to participate in the challenge by adding her own twist calling it a ’non-motherhood challenge.’

She posted five pictures that make her happy to be a non-mother, which include her falling asleep next to a bottle of wine.

With all the mixed reactions to the Motherhood Challenge, Jody Day, from Gateway Women, pointed out a trivial problem with the challenge saying it leaves some women alienated.

“The challenge trivialises motherhood,” Day told Mashable. “No one is an awesome mum every day. And for those childless women still silently and invisibly grieving that loss, it opens up a fresh divide between them and their mum friends.”