Is it Okay for a Mom to Be Partying Hard?

Another week, and another set of photos in the tabloids of Kate Moss looking refreshed after a night on the tiles. Whether or not the paps wait until Kate's eyes are almost closed, to get the shot where she looks like she hit the bar too much, no matter. It still shows that this Mom of one is out on the town several times a week, sometimes until the wee hours of the morning. Is this wrong? Should Kate be tucked up at home, darning name badges unto school uniforms, making packed lunches, and setting out the gym kits for her daughter? Or is it okay that she's out and about, letting her hair down and having fun with her new husband?

Kate is not alone. As the photos below attest - many other famous women like to burn the candle at both ends. They may have children who will be getting up at the crack of dawn, but this doesn't seem to daunt them. They're still painting the town red, and not ashamed of it.

And why should they be? You could argue that celebrity Dads might be photographed hitting the hot spots every night of the week, and no one will blink an eye at this. People will see the photos and think, "There's so and so, having a great time with his buddies. He rocks!" They won't judge them in the same way that they'd judge a woman.

Related: 7 infamous child stars who have gone off the deep end

Those that do judge - is it just a case of good, old-fashioned jealousy? Wouldn't we all be dancing on tables and knocking back drinks, if we had nannies getting up with our kids and personal assistants taking care of all the organization that comes with children (especially those at school)? Or do we judge them because to see those women staggering out of bars, wobbling on their uber expensive shoes, makes us think they are lesser mothers for doing so? Do we expect women to hang up their party heels as soon as they give birth, and settle down to a life of domesticity? That to still act like we did in our single days, makes us less responsible, less mature, less capable?

And how much is too much partying? More than one night a week? Or any night, if you end up staggering around the place, needing help home? Is the amount of nights out we object to, or the state women get themselves in?

I for one, will hold my hands up and say that just because I am a Mom, it doesn't mean I've given up wanting to cut loose and have some fun with my girlfriends. That usually involves a drink or two. Maybe 3. (Blame the Irish in me!) Yes, I have to get up with 2 kids, hold down 2 jobs, and keep a household ticking over with no grandparents/siblings/in-laws nearby to help. But still, on occasion I need to let my hair down and feel like ME again. Does that make me a bad mother? Well, I don't fall out of nightclubs ever, let alone every week. But if I had nannies on tap and assistants and chefs and housekeepers, would I maybe devote more time to myself? I sure as heck would. Wouldn't you?

Of course women have to adapt after having children - we have other people we are now responsible for, and for that reason alone, we need to (wo)man up and put our children first. Maybe that is the biggest difference between us and celeb moms: with their sheltered lives and access to unlimited help, they never have to grow up at all…

For 7 more celebrity moms who aren't afraid to party hard, visit Babble!

-By Suzanne Cowie

MORE ON BABBLE
12 ways parenting a baby is like hosting a frat party
10 famous moms caught breastfeeding in public (and we have the pics!)
9 things I'd totally give up sex for - would you?!