Posts Tagged “Mother’s”
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Mothers all across America are caught in a maelstrom of guilt and anxiety, torn between their devotion to their children and their fears about economic security. A Mother’s Place , written by a leading New York Times journalist and mother of two, is the book they have been waiting to read — one that exposes the backlash against working mothers in our culture yet acknowledges their own ambivalence about the new lives they are leading. Evolving from a series of front-page articles Susan Chira wrote for the New York Times , A Mother’s Place leads all mothers to safe ground. Drawing on her own experience as a mother and worker, and on interviews with dozens of mothers across the country, Chira writes with passion and compassion about motherhood in the nineties. A Mother’s Place is at once a devestating expose of the distortions that have wrongfully convinced many women that good mothers stay at home, and an engaging personal account of how women can rewrite the rules of motherhood and defy the experts by striking the balance that best suits them and their children. Controversial, hard-hitting yet written in a warm and accessible style, A Mother’s Place speaks to mothers across the country. Whenever working mothers pick up a newspaper or magazine, they hear how their neglect is producing a society of emotionally damaged, even criminal, youth. Chira reviews the latest scientific research to show that children of working mothers turn out just as well as those raised by mothers at home. She shows how the media, the courts and politicans have distorted this data to suit their own agendas. The reality that most experts have chosen to ignore is how much a mother’s happiness, satisfaction and emotional state affect her child. Chira argues that society is trapped in the wrong debate, because whether or not a woman works is not a principal factor in determing how good a mother she is. She presents a new vision of motherhood, one that offers reassurance while insisting that all of us — mothers, fathers and society — fulfill our obligations to our children.Amazon.com Review
Who makes the best kind of mother–a stay-at-home mom or a working mom? Susan Chira, deputy foreign editor for the New York Times, has joined the debate with the excellent, insightful, and forward-thinking A Mother’s Place. Chira cites “the cultural and political forces pounding away at mothers” as the source of her inspiration, and indeed, the last decade has seen a spate of books, studies, and talk-show spectacles claiming that working mothers are the root of many societal ills.
What stay-at-home-mom zealots have neglected to consider is the personhood of the mothers themselves. Chira points out that a mother’s intellectual and emotional satisfaction will undeniably affect her children. So if Mom feels forced into staying at home with the kids, her resentment is not likely to result in star-quality mothering. Chira does not mean to say that all stay-at-home mothers are bitter and bored; instead, she makes a plea that a mother’s choice in this matter be accepted and celebrated, regardless of her decision.
A Mother’s Place is extremely well-researched, using both the latest empirical studies and interviews with over 40 mothers and a dozen fathers, augmented by her own personal experiences. The result is an intimate, accessible study that while firmly rooted in science successfully avoids a dry academic tone. The good news is that Chira offers a thorough, well-crafted, and compelling argument that “working mother” does not equal “evil mother.” The bad news is that in our supposedly enlightened times there are still people in need of convincing. –Brangien Davis
A Mother’s Place : Taking the Debate About Working Mothers Beyond Guilt and Blame
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“Mother-blame,” blaming mothers for their children’s anti-social behavior, is a common theme of social critics and policymakers. Critics charge that mothers have chosen work over parenting and that their children have suffered due to a loss of supervision and support. Their children are, therefore, more likely to commit crime. This study explores the relationship between maternal work and juvenile delinquency. The effects of maternal work are traced through a variety of delinquency pathways to delinquency. The results demonstrate that maternal work has little or no effect on family processes or on juvenile delinquency. Instead, Vander Ven suggests that variables measuring structural disadvantage are more important predictors of negative family processes and delinquent behavior in adolescents.
Working Mothers and Juvenile Delinquency
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With the stresses and strains of working mothers more in the spotlight than ever, this book provides welcome information and advice to this highly stressed, over-stretched group. needed by so many.
When I Go to Work I Feel Guilty: A Working Mother’s Guide to Sanity and Survival
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al trends, this book details the pressures–both psychological and cultural–which force women into the role of primary parent. Peters provides hands-on, practical strategies to help mothers balance work, family, and self.Amazon.com Review
Here’s a radical concept: motherhood, as it is currently envisioned and practiced in American culture, is bad for the family. This theory is the heart of Joan K. Peters’s controversial When Mothers Work, a book guaranteed to make readers question everything they thought they believed about parenting. In Peters’s view, the myth of the perfect mother, who is not only willing but glad to make huge sacrifices for her children, is really a trap that creates unhappy, unfulfilled parents and miserable children. Why, Peters asks, do we assume that the transformation into primary caregiver and ultimate authority on all things having to do with home and child is welcomed by women? Why is it that the birth of a baby radically changes most mothers’ lives while fathers often go essentially untouched? Peters is not afraid to question the sanctity–or the satisfaction–of motherhood; she points out that parenting, as it is organized today, requires women to make most of the sacrifices and take on most of the stress while depriving men of both the responsibilities and the rewards of being a parent. Many of these arguments have been made before, but what makes Peters’s book both unique and persuasive is that she doesn’t assign blame to men only; she is quick to point out that it is women themselves who are often reluctant to give up the lion’s share of responsibility for child rearing. Yet, in order for families to be truly functional, mothers must share parenting equally and accept that, while men may nurture children differently, they are just as effective. Happy children require happy parents, Peters argues, and having a life and identity outside of the home is essential to both men and women. When Mothers Work is a thoughtful critique of the state of American parenting today and a blueprint for change.
When Mothers Work: Loving Our Children Without Sacrificing Our Selves
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Whether single or married, with one child or several, every working mother must find her own unique way of balancing home and work. Here Danielle Kennedy– a mother of eight–shares the secrets of more than thirty successful working mothers from all walks of life. Ranging from self-employed mothers to mothers formerly on welfare, they offer their wisdom and advice on such issues as: * avoiding the common trap of guilt * being aware of the dangers of perfectionism * enlisting the help of family members * working with your company to meet your children’s needs * creating energy both physically and emotionally * being present for your children
Balancing Acts: An Inspirational Guide for Working Mothers
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Sandi Kahn Shelton’s hailarious tales from the front-lines of parenthood connect with parents, grandparents and parents-to-be.
You Might As Well Laugh: A Working Mother’s #1 Rule
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