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This content has been automatically translated from Ukrainian.
If you are a mom who spins like a squirrel in a wheel during the day, and at night, instead of going to bed, hangs out on the phone or reads a book in dim light, then congratulations: you are a Momby.
Who is Momby?
Momby is a zombie mom who is very tired but stubbornly refuses to go to sleep. She carries the weight of household chores, work, children, and sometimes even a husband or a cat, but when the silence finally arrives, she can't just go to sleep. This is her time, her moment of freedom.
Usually, Momby doesn't sleep until one or two in the morning, even though she will have to get up early again in the morning and continue her motherly quest. But this short period of time is exclusively for her – without mom duties, without the children's "mom-mom-mom", without chaos.
Where did this term come from?
The word Momby is a combination of "mom" and "zombie". It appeared in the English-speaking internet, probably back in the 2010s, when moms began to discuss their strange sleep patterns en masse on social media.
The idea of "revenge bedtime procrastination" also explains the Momby phenomenon. This is when people prolong the time before sleep because they feel they haven't had time for themselves during the day.
In our case, this is characteristic of moms who are busy with children and family during the day, and in the evening finally can do what they want: read, scroll through TikTok, binge-watch a series, enjoy a cup of tea without someone biting half of the cookie.
Smombie – a relative of Momby?
If Momby is a zombie mom who sacrifices sleep for her own time, then Smombie is a "smartphone" + "zombie", meaning a person who walks down the street glued to their phone.
Smombies often don't notice cars or pedestrians because their gaze is fixed on the screen. This term became popular in Germany and even made it into the Duden dictionary in 2015.
Some joke that Momby turns into a Smombie in the evening – sitting on her phone, scrolling through social media, even though she knows it’s already time to sleep.
How to recognize a Momby?
- She says: “I will go to bed earlier today”, but again goes to bed at 2 AM.
- In the morning she says: “That’s it, I won’t do this anymore!”, and in the evening: “Just one more episode...”
- In her search queries: “How to get enough sleep in 4 hours?”
- She loves the night calm more than her own sleep.
Can Momby be cured?
Theoretically – yes. Practically – unlikely. It all depends on the age of the children, the level of support from the surroundings, and the ability to carve out some time for herself during the day. But for now, Momby rules the world (albeit very tired).
Are you a Momby? 💀😴
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