I am a mother of 3 girls, 9,7, and 3. I am very involved in all aspects of their lives, school, girl scouts, sports, church activities... you get the picture. I also have a pile of laundry a mile high that most of the time never gets folded before it is dirty again. This is what works for our household. I am so tired of this competition that we as women keep putting ourselves in with one another. Just as our interests and hobbies may vary, so does the way we parent. Would you berate someone for the hobby they enjoy being different from yours? I am simply exhausted by the amount of effort we keep putting in to this same conversation. We should be supporting each other, not comparing ourselves.

You must be kidding. Slacker Mom? What an incredible insult! I’ll take Beta for comparison, but did you have to add slacker? Why not add Controlling Mom as an “also know as” to Alpha Mom. Look, my husband and I both hold graduate degrees and are those “gag me” suburban people; private schools, SUV’s, and the whole nine yards. I believe I am a balance between these two types of so called Moms, but the negative connotation of adding slacker to the latter type of Mom is just ridiculous. It is like a subconscious message implying that being an Alpha Mom is a better approach to raising a child. Children do not need a schedule that could rival any executive’s calendar. Children need love and attention, they do not need (although nice to have) golf, tennis, and lacrosse lessons.

I am a mother of a 5 and 7 year old.  I am also a stay at home mom.  I strongly object to the term "slacker mom"  that implies that I am lazy and unmotivated.  Not so.  Just because I am not constantly going here and there does not mean I am a beta or slacker.  Isn't this just going back to the old debate of stay at home versus working mom?  What is it with the labeling??  why can't we just be moms??  This I blame on the media.  I certainly don't appreciate being judged a slacker by anybody let alone anal oops alpha moms  who aren't satisfied with their roles as moms and have to supplement with outside stimulatants.

Wow! Who came up with "Slacker Mom"? Since when is being a Mom , especially a mother who chooses to stay home and take care of her children a "slacker"?
Our children today need more attention than ever... the time we have with them is more fleeting than we realize. I do not feel like a slacker, and I am angry with the message being sent through the media!

How dare you offend the majority of your viewers!  Slacker mom?  HUH?  I am a professional, major bread winner and I manage a husband and three kids.  I am a slacker because I do not iron clothes?  I am a slacker because I buy store bought desserts?  The media does a pretty good job in making working mothers feel guilty...but boy you took it over the top with this story!  Not only am I a terrible parent for working full time...but now I am a slacker!  I am terribly upset and disappointed in the Today show.  It would be in your best interest to send out an apology to all working mothers.  I am positive I am not the only one offended by this disasterous piece!

alpha mom? slacker mom? don't we have enough separation in this society based on gender, race, class, religion and sexual orientation? we're separating moms now? so i guess we can call single mothers "supermoms".

What makes a good mother is spending time & listening to your children & loving them.  Being there for them no matter what.  Being a good mother has nothing to do with whether or not you are good at organizing.  In the big scheme of things all your children want from you is LOVE!  Not whether or not their mother was a tech-savvy, hands on multitasker, running her house like a corporation or not.  Kids don't care about that.  Remember this: You can be the greatest at all of that corporate stuff, but if you're not there for your kids with love & time, then you're not a good mother! They just want us to be there for them with guidance & love.  Question is "Are you there for your kids or not?" NOT "Are you an "Alpha" mom or a "Slacker" mom?"! Why do we have to label mothers? I'm just a mom doing her best to be there with love & guidance for her children!  And I think that is what makes us good mothers!

Wow..."slacker mom", what a slam.  Is the slacker mom the one who doesn't put her child in every single program and camp that is available?  Is she the one who watches them play, using their imaginations to have fun on their own rather than structuring their day with so many adult-directed activities.  Isn't "slacker mom" vs. aplha mom a modern twist on mom-who-stays @ home vs. mom-who-works?  Here we go again.  I have 3 children and I can't even tell you the last time I "slacked" or even had a good nights rest for that matter.  How about more on how we can support and encourage one another?

Unlike the commentors above, I enjoyed the segment aired today.  I took it as an attempt to show that both Alpha and Beta Mom's are good Moms.  The part that I appreciated is that there are other Moms just like you, whichever "camp" you fall in.  The point is that we are all Moms, and we all love our kids - no matter what approach you choose.

Slacker!  I am a college educated, stay-at-home mother and because I am not a controlling technology addict that makes me a slacker? That was a very poor choice of words.  My kids socks usually match, but I do not think that makes me an alpha mom.  I have a clean house and usually a clean kid, but why do I have to be controlling or a slacker.  I am just a mom, doing the best that I know how, with the knowledge that I have.  Why do we have to be labeled something and be made to feel terrible if we aren't in the right category?  I think we deal with enough guilt as moms without having to be labeled.  Let's get rid of the labels and just celebrate the differences in the way we mother our children.

Today show / Meredith;
             I resent the word slacker. An alpha mom wants everything to be perfect, a beta mom is more relaxed about mothering, but a slacker will sit and smoke or drink while her children get into trouble. A beta mom is not a slacker.
                       Alice

I am one of those you call slacker moms and damn proud to be !!   My house is not organized, laundry is always needing to be done.  My kids are now 21 and 17 and even though they lived always looking for matching socks, they never looked for my attention, they always had it, I have played GI Joe, Barbie, jumped on the trampoline with them, in short spent time with them, there is plenty of time for the other stuff later.  They grow up too fast, but this slacker mom's college son even living in a different state talks to me every few days.  Have great talks because I worked hard to foster a relationship with both my kids.  Now if I was an alpha mom, do you think I would still have that relationship with my kids?  I do not believe so and now the memories they have of their slacker mom is memories of time spent laughing, playing, being together, not of a mom always cleaning, working, controlling every minute in a schedule.  I have two sisters that would be considered Alpha moms and they tell me when we talk about this that they wish they had spent more time playing and talking to their kids now that they are grown up it is too late.  So, this slacker mom says "Lighten up Alpha moms!"  When they are grown and you are sitting in that perfectly cleaned organized home and your schedule is not empty, you will regret not spending more time, SLACKING OFF with your precious children.  

A family is a corporation? Where is the love?  Isn't that what matters most?  How arrogant can you be to say that all mothers fall into one of two categories and clearly imply that the second is second-hand?  Who decides what is perfect anyway?  Our society needs to let go of this need to have a label for everything.  We are all different. We all have different strengths.  We all have WEAKNESSES and IMPERFECTIONS. We all love our children and want what is best for them and give them our best.  That should be the only thing that matters.    

I understood the gist of your piece this morning and was not offended. However, the show may need to sit down with its writers to discuss better terminology for some segments. "Beta" moms would have been a much better word choice than "slacker", which doesn't carry the best connotation. You know the old saying, "It's not what you say, but how you say it."

I never respond to things I see on TV, but this "slacker" label is really disturbing to me. I work full time, have two kids 10 and 5, and one on the way. I am a teacher, so now I am home with the kids--I love it! I have made "mom camp". I don't see myself as an ALPHA mom, because my priority is to keep my kids happy, spend as much time with them as possible and I am not concerned with appearances. I just see myself as a mom who loves to BE WITH her kids. There are toys on my coffe table, papers on my dining table, but I will sit WITH my children to watch cartoon network, and leave dishes in the sink for a few hours. Doing what they want to do is important to me. I agree with one of the moms this morning on TV, it's about the kids. I think the people who worry about keeping the kids busy with classes are selfish because they would rather have someone else enjoy their child. They should be taking classes TOGETHER! If a clean and orderly house is your priority, you are more concerned about OTHER people--what about the kids??? Ok, I have said my peace. Have a nice day. hug your children--A LOT!

I can wholeheartedly understand the debate and emotional outcry over this story, but I think the real issue here is not which mom is the better mom, but the poor choice of terminology by the Today show in using the word "slacker."  The Beta moms that you refer to (I consider myself one) are not slackers at all, but loving nurturers with different priorities.  And while I personally would not choose the Alpha style of parenting, I can understand and appreciate the moms who do. I'll bet the individual at Today who came up with that caption isn't a woman with children. Where was the editor or producer who should have caught this negatively "loaded" term? I think, as a major media outlet, Today needs to be more responsible about the messages it's putting out there and more watchful of those creating them.

I really can't imagine what you were thinking calling a mother a slacker!!  I would love for you to call your mother on the phone and tell her that she is a slacker.  Come on really, who ever thought that it would be ok to call a mother  a slacker should be fired.  I work hard everyday, doing the best that I can to provide for my kids.  Yea I do somethings easy buy buying premade cookie dough, but that is so I have a little extra time for playing with my kids, reading, cleaning the house and doing laundry, or yea loving my kids by doing what they would like so I can put a smile on thier face.  

I am a MOTHER!!!!  There is no such thing as an Alpha or Slcaker Mom!!  Last but not least, I take such offense to this and I just think your stupid!!!!  

I am a mother of 5 and 8 year old boys and found the segment on alpha mom's offensive. I am a hard working mom that manages to work a full time in a high stress job, get my children to and from school, take care of the monthly finances, go to PTC meetings, birthday parties, swim lessons ect... So I can't keep up on the laundry, or the house all the time. My children are great boys with happy spirits and we have alot of quality time together ,not stressing about the little things we did not get to during the day. "Perfection" What is that! Put the effort into talking with your children, making them independent and responsible people who will one day turn into caring adults that will make positive changes in our high stress society! That is what  most important. There will ALWAYS be laundry!!!!!!!!!

As long as your children are loved and feel loved then your being the best mom! Kids are pretty simple we make it complex!

The use of the word "slacker" WAS insulting, but made me chuckle as well. What mom (working out of the home, in the home, single, married, WHATEVER!) doesn't berate herself for not being good enough? Even the so-called Alpha Moms feel guilty for over-involvement (hello? Helicopter Moms? Just as insulting...) The fact is, guilt is a huge part of motherhood - precisely because we all love our children no matter what form showing that love takes. And just when you're patting yourself on the back for having a handle on things, something will bite you on the butt! :) That's what life is all about... rolling with the punches. The universal truth is that most moms - single moms especially - are too busy trying to survive and provide to care about categories. (Except maybe the moms with publishing deals!) Relax, everybody! We're all alright!

The show was fair in their portrayal of different "styles" of parenting but I agree that the title of this segment was very misleading. The definitions of "alpha" and "slacker" are so extremely opposite that they do not even relate to each other. Even "Beta" is defined as "second-in-line", which in turn implies that "alpha" is "better". The fact is ALL moms are similar in that we love our children and want the best for them. Regardless of our parenting "style" we all hope that are children become well-rounded responsible adults. If we strive for that to the best of our individual abilities then we have done a good job. Bottom line: NOBODY is perfect! The important thing is that we are comfortable with ourselves and with the decisions that we make in life. This would apply to all aspects of our lives...not just motherhood. We need to spend more time supporting each other and less time critiquing!

My experience as a mo has shown me that being a Beta mom allows me time to adjust the schedule when my son tells me he needs to build a boat for physics tomorrow. If I try to hold to an Alpha schedule these last minute projects would send me over the edge. I have a son in a high school marching band. If you have ever met a "Band Mom" you know that she is not a slacker! Even if she is not a control freak.

I am a single mom of 2. No child support just emotional support. I am very offended by this. "Slacker," I don't think so. I work full time and make arrangement for my kids to have suppervised play dates, teach them right and wrong , and go to college p/t. along with cooking healthy homemade food. I wish you take this back or change the word to SUPERMOM. THANKs FOR ALL THE SLACKERs or beta (we are not computers women) MOMS just gave me a more of reason to be a better mom. ALL moms have good and bad days just like children. Children needs come before the dishes.

I remember when Matt made the big distinction when NBC began calling the war in Iraq a "civil war".  There was an explaination on how the decision was made.  Yet, today you throw around the word "slacker" with no thought at all.   My American Heritage dictionary defines slacker as "one who shirks work or responsibility."  How can that NOT have a negative impact on the discussion?  

A mom is a woman raising, loving, helping, teaching, guiding, showing, and yes, limiting and discplining a child.  It doesn't matter whether she gave birth to that child, it matters that she does the job.  Let's stop the name calling, and support each other in the best job in the whole world.

the best mother is the kind who is enduring in love and loves unconditionally and who does not try to control.  and they do not try and control their children and transfer their issues to their children.  alpha or beta does not matter. true unconditional love that does not inflict pain is what counts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The word slacker was very derogatory. I understand what you were "trying" to do with this story, but it did not come across well. Being a mother is one of the most rewarding of jobs, yet very challenging!  At times I've been an Alpha mom, very organized in teaching my 2yr old daughter.  But I'm PROUD to be a Beta mom.  We watch her favorite TV shows together, play at the park, play with toys, and read books.  I will always strive to have a close relationship and be "tuned in" to her!  We absolutely need less labels and more support and ideas for each other. Children need LOVE above everything & they grow up much to quickly!  The house can be perfect when they are at college & I'll have TIME to clean then!!

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