A viral claim that “ex party girls make the best moms” has turned a familiar parenting debate into a referendum on women’s past lives. At the center is a simple but loaded idea: that a wild youth can translate into unusually tuned-in, resilient parenting. As the post has ricocheted across Instagram, Facebook and parenting sites, mothers are lining up on both sides, some cheering the validation and others bristling at what they see as a new way to judge who counts as a “good mom.”
How one mom’s theory lit up social media
The current wave of conversation traces back to mom Johanna Riehm, who shared her theory on Threads that women who once closed down clubs are now the ones closing bedroom doors after one more bedtime story. In her view, having “lived through extremes” before kids helps former party girls show up as present, intuitive parents who are not easily rattled when life with toddlers gets loud. Her post, highlighted in coverage of a viral post, framed motherhood as a new chapter that does not erase the old one but builds on it.
Riehm, a mom of two, has since been described as arguing that those late nights and messy lessons become a kind of emotional training camp. She suggested that women who once navigated crowded dance floors and complicated friendships are now better at reading a room, spotting trouble and staying calm when a preschooler melts down in the Target toy aisle. In a follow up, she was quoted as saying that having lived through extremes helps former party girls become “present, intuitive and unshockable,” a description echoed in an analysis of why former party might thrive in parenting.
From Instagram reels to Facebook threads, supporters see hidden strengths
The idea did not stay on Threads. Earlier this month, an Instagram creator posting as thelifeofvalentine_ leaned into the same theme, declaring, “I’m convinced ex-party girls make great moms. We didn’t skip life, we experienced it.” In her reel, shared on Instagram, she argued that those experiences now fuel patience, humor and a refusal to panic when kids test limits. Another clip, captioned “Ex-party girls make the best moms because… we’ve seen it all,” doubled down on the idea that nothing a teenager tries will surprise a parent who once invented the excuses herself, a point underscored in a separate Instagram reel that jokes “You’re not slick. We invented the excuses.”
On Facebook, the same language has turned into a kind of rallying cry. In one widely shared post, a user wrote, “I’m convinced ex party girls make the best moms. We’re fun, we function on no sleep,” prompting comments from Cynthia Rodriquez and others who said that years spent “lost in the music and not looking up” now translate into an ability to tune out judgment and focus on their kids. That thread, captured in a Facebook exchange, framed former party girls as women who already know every trick in the book, so they are harder to manipulate and quicker to spot danger. Another slice of the same conversation, which included a comment from Stacy Dash about house dance parties that “go crazzzyyyy,” showed how some moms see their past as fuel for joy and connection, a tone captured in a separate Facebook thread.
The celebratory mood has spilled into other corners of Instagram, where one post paired the caption “Facts! That crazy past comes in handy somewhere!” with the hashtag #partygirlsmakegoodmoms. The creator argued that former party girls “make top-tier moms” precisely because they know “every trick in the book,” a claim that mirrors Riehm’s argument that lived experience becomes a parenting asset. That framing, visible in a widely liked post, casts the “crazy past” not as a stain on a mother’s record but as proof she has already tested limits and learned where the real dangers lie.
Why the claim hits a nerve for many moms
Not everyone is cheering. As the clips and quotes spread, some parents have pushed back, arguing that tying “best mom” status to any specific backstory simply replaces one stereotype with another. In coverage of the debate, one analysis noted that the phrase “best moms” can feel exclusionary to women who never partied, who became parents young or who spent their twenties working multiple jobs. That tension surfaced in reporting on the original Threads post, which described how Riehm’s theory drew a wide range of reactions from other parents once it was amplified as a viral parenting take.
Riehm herself has tried to narrow the claim. In a follow up quoted in a detailed look at her comments, she emphasized that what really helps in parenting is not the number of nights spent out but the self-knowledge that can come from having “lived through extremes” and then choosing a different path. That nuance, highlighted in a breakdown of her core argument, shifts the focus from partying itself to reflection and growth. It also aligns with a broader analysis that described former party girls as “present, intuitive and unshockable,” while stressing that these traits are not exclusive to any one group of mothers, a point echoed in a closer look at how mom of two from Threads sparked such a wide range of reactions.
More from Decluttering Mom:
