A mom of two from New York has sparked a lively online debate with a simple claim that has clearly struck a nerve. Johanna Riehm posted that women who once loved late nights and loud music often turn into the best mothers. In her view, the traits that once defined a social butterfly do not disappear after kids, they just get redirected into family life. Her message quickly went viral, pulling in more than 100,000 views and a wave of reactions from other parents.
In her post, Riehm argued that former party girls are fun, can function on little sleep, and tend to thrive in chaos. She also joked that their kids will not get away with much, implying a certain street smarts that carries over into parenting. Speaking to Newsweek, the 35 year old said the “party girl” label is often treated like a synonym for irresponsibility. She believes many of those women were actually adaptable and resilient long before they ever packed a diaper bag.
The question is whether being used to late nights truly helps when the sleep deprivation is not optional. Research cited in the discussion suggests new mothers get only about an hour of real rest during the day, based on findings from the University of York and Durham, Leeds Beckett University, and University College London. That sounds like a situation where a history of midnight adventures might come in handy. But London based parenting expert Ana Aznar says it is not that straightforward.
Aznar points out that late nights often come with alcohol and adrenaline, which can make exhaustion feel temporarily invisible. Newborn sleep is also less about staying up late and more about broken, unpredictable stretches that wear people down differently. She says what helps most is realistic expectations about infant sleep and a strong support system. As the founder of the online parenting support platform REC Parenting, she emphasizes that feeling supported matters more than any former lifestyle.
Riehm still thinks there is something valuable in having lived through extremes. She describes former party girls as present, intuitive, and emotionally flexible, the kind of people who can roll with spontaneity without feeling like they have lost themselves. She also says many feel less fear of missing out because they already had their season of late nights. That idea connects with a wider reality that many parents miss their pre kid freedom, even if they now channel that energy into kitchen dance parties instead.
A survey by the British travel company Tui found that 60 percent of parents miss going out without children, while 67 percent say those nights now look like dancing at home with their kids. In the comments under Riehm’s post, mothers shared their own “transferable skills,” from handling little sleep to staying calm around messes and bodily fluids. Some even joked that after festivals without showers and marathon nights, the newborn phase felt manageable by comparison.
Do you think a wild social past can actually make parenting easier, or is it just a fun story we tell ourselves? Share your take in the comments.
