Helpful Advice For New Moms
February 6th, 2026 Barry Posted in Becky Hawkins collaborations, Sexism & Misogyny | No Comments »
This cartoon is by me and Becky Hawkins.
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has nine panels, plus a tiny “kicker” panel at the bottom.
PANEL 1
A mother in the middle seat of an airplane is holding her crying baby, while the annoyed women on either side of her offer their advice.
AISLE SEAT LADY: If you let your baby cry in public you’re a bad mother.
WINDOW SEAT LADY: If you quiet them with screen time you’re a bad mother.
PANEL 2
A smiling woman wearing a mint green gi sits crosslegged next to a potted plant, holding a mug of tea. A large picture window faces a natural scene.
WOMAN: Formula is poison! Quit your job and breastfeed at least every two hours or you don’t love your baby.
PANEL 3
A woman in business wear and red glasses raises her hands in a dismissive gesture.
WOMAN: If you quit working, you’ve personally set feminism back forty years. But you do you!
PANEL 4
A middle-aged man is carrying a tall stack of books and pamphlets, so heavy that he’s bent backwards.
MAN: I brought you some light reading about “wake windows” and optimal nap schedules.
PANEL 5
Most of this center panel is taken up by the title: HELPFUL ADVICE FOR NEW MOMS. Below that, a blonde woman in a green jacket smiles.
WOMAN: Trust your instincts! Which are terrible and wrong.
PANEL 6
A mom has her baby in a stroller in a park, and is just kneeling down to put on some socks. A woman behind her turns red and curves over the mom in an impossible arc to get in her face and yell.
WOMAN: Why isn’t your baby wearing SOCKS?!?
PANEL 7
A couple relaxes on a sofa, her head resting on his shoulder. They talk to us, his expression genial, hers angry.
HIM: Co-sleeping is the natural way to teach your baby to sleep!
HER: Until you roll over and smother them, you murderer!
PANEL 8
An older woman leans close to us and holds up a finger as she gives advice.
WOMAN: Wean too soon and he’ll grow up sickly. Wean too late and he’ll grow up weird!
PANEL 9
A large crowd of people, of various ages and ethnicities and fashion choices, speak in unison. Some are angry, some friendly. One is a mother with a baby in a sling.
EVERYBODY: And remember: Whatever happens, it’s your fault!
“KICKER” PANEL AT THE BOTTOM
Barry is talking to a woman who looks absolutely exhausted.
BARRY: Do you know what “catch 22” means?
TIRED WOMAN: Is it minutes of sleep I caught last night?
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
Chicken fat is ancient cartoonist lingo for fun but unimportant little details in the art.
In panel six, the sockless baby is kicking their feet so much that Becky drew the baby with six adorable little feet.
In panel nine, one woman is wearing a T-Shirt design that’s a mix of an anarchy symbol and a cat’s head. That same design showed up as a poster on the wall in a previous Becky cartoon.
Also in panel nine, one man in the crowd carries a “World’s Best Dad” mug, and the baby’s eyes are hilariously wide and shocked-looking.
