Nickelodeon Learns Mothers Don’t Have A ‘Non-Mom’ Part Of Their Identity In Developing ‘NickMom’

Nickelodeon just wised up to the fact that the majority of moms today aren’t hanging out in front of the TV all morning their tots. Many work all day, head to the grocery store, throw together a meal, put the kids to bed, and then settle into their own TV-viewing well after the sun goes down. And although mothers have been “co-viewing” NickJr. for years, Nickelodeon has realized that they could get a good slice of the mommy-viewing pie by setting up some programing for mothers after hours.

And so the network has decided to throw together a 9 pm – 1 am slot entitled “NickMom” with viewing for modern mothers age 40 and under. With reality shows akin to The Real Housewives (although I’m assuming less vulgar) and replays of The Brady Bunch with snarky bubbles above Mrs. Brady’s head, “NickMom” is also setting up a website in the hopes that moms will hang out and chat. I Don’t Know How She Does It author and celebrity mommy Allison Pearson is set to pen a feature for the website after it launches next week.

But as Nickelodeon was doing some research into the daily lives of mothers to optimize their intended programming, the network made a startling realization. Not only do mothers stress about their home life well into the work day (should they have one), they also consider motherhood to shade every aspect of their identity. After choosing 11 families to be monitored about their daily routines, The Wall Street Journal reports:

Among the study’s preliminary findings were that mothers see their roles inside and outside the home as fluid; they “do not recognize a ‘non-mom’ part of their identities,” the study found.

Another finding was that for both mothers and fathers, home life tends to cause more stress than work life; “the stakes are higher, so the stress is greater,” the study found. It also revealed that mothers struggled to be “truly present” and to live in the moment.

Groundbreaking.

I haven’t even become a mother yet, but I could have told you that simply by virtue of being a relatively perceptive person who observes families on the subway every morning. Nickelodeon has also realized that 25% of mothers who watch the channel with their kids also tuned in as children themselves. The network plans to work this cohort for all is worth, addressing tech-savvy moms who can recall The Rugrats lineup by heart.

(photo: mediamarketjournal.com)