Motherhood
it was my daughter’s love that freed me from my delusions of grandeur. It liberated me from the tyranny of trying to prove myself. Since her birth, I feel calmer and more secure. I have a sense of security I haven’t felt since I was a young child, living with parents who unconditionally loved me. Now, I care less about what other people think of... See more
As new and upcoming parents, I can already see that a lot will change but I am not worried. I have enormous trust and respect for our relationship.
One evening, at the Mothers Talking group, I surprised myself by bursting out in frustration: “So at the time women are most likely to suffer from mental illness we isolate them inside, expect them to match unrealistic human ideals, judge their every move, demand they get their body back after the violence of birth, silence their lived experience,
... See moreLucy Jones • Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood
I felt increasingly compelled to figure out the reasons for the continuing lack of authentic respect and support for the invisible work of pregnancy, birthing children and caregiving. Not least because I was finding out first-hand how harmful it could be.
Matrescence, Lucy Jones
‘Too many women are ashamed to speak openly about their complicated experiences for fear of being judged. This type of social isolation may even trigger postpartum depression.’
https://archive.is/20181123003735/https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/memory-and-delusion
A case for delusional mothers
Shirley Jackson
I want to drill down on one aspect of the intro, too, because I think it’s essential: how has care “curdled,” for lack of a better word, in our minds? And what have been the implications of that degradation?
Definitely curdled. When I say the word “care” I think it often brings to mind the smell of diapers or that unpleasant combo of urine and... See more
Definitely curdled. When I say the word “care” I think it often brings to mind the smell of diapers or that unpleasant combo of urine and... See more
Anne Helen Petersen • "I Went Into Motherhood Determined Not to Lose Myself in It."
The birth of my first child, after the maelstrom passed, was a deliverance. It brought me closer to my real self. I have learned how to surrender when I need to. I am learning to live in the rhythm of other lives; I have learned to share my life.
Lucy Jones • Matrescence
Women have internalized our own devaluation. No wonder many women with the privilege of making the choice are choosing not to have children. Child-rearing is arguably the most difficult path possible, a hero’s journey that leads us on harrowing adventures but for which we receive almost no credit.