Resources
- Defining Motherhood: Washington PostHow do you sum up something so extraordinary in 100 words or fewer? We asked readers to try.
- There's A Name For The Ups And Downs Of New Motherhood: It's Called MatrescenceArticle from NPR discussing matrescence.
- Feeling Pressure to Be a Perfect Mother Relates to Parental Burnout and Career AmbitionsThe findings suggest that intensive mothering norms might have severe costs for women’s family and work outcomes, and provide insights into where to direct efforts to reduce motherhood hardships and protect women’s career ambitions.
- Motherhood changes the brain, possibly foreverPregnancy and motherhood don’t just lead to “mom brain,” a sort of fogginess that occurs during pregnancy and in the months post-partum; in fact, reproductive experiences may change the trajectory of women’s aging across the lifespan, finds new research from UBC Neuroscience PhD candidate Rand Eid and colleagues in Dr. Liisa Galea’s and Dr. Joanne Weinberg’s labs.
Research & Reference
- Motherhood: Credo ReferenceA Credo Reference landing page on motherhood. This page includes links to reference works, journal articles, and a mind map.
- Motherhood: ScienceDirectA ScienceDirect landing page on motherhood.
- Mothers in the U.S.This Statista dossier provides data on mothers in the United States. After an overview on births in the U.S., this dossier focuses on single mothers, teenage mothers, and child care. Lastly, the fifth chapter shows data on female unemployment in the United States.
Streaming Media
- The Costs of Idealizing MotherhoodIn her 25 years as a therapist, Hanks has long noticed that most women express feelings of guilt, shame, conflict and inadequacy when talking about motherhood. In her own life, she’s noticed that no matter how she’s tried combine family, professional, and creative pursuits, powerful external messages have threatened to undermine her confidence as a mother. Hanks has spent her life asking and researching questions about women, gender roles and family life. It has become clear to Hanks that our idealized views of motherhood isolate women and fail to support them in the actual work of mothering. In this talk, Hanks promotes the idea that motherhood is a unique human relationship to which every mother should proudly bring her own individual strengths and preferences. Julie de Azevedo Hanks, PhD, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist specializing in women’s emotional health and relationships. Dr. Hanks is the founder and director of Wasatch Family Therapy, author of The Burnout Cure and The Assertiveness Guide for Women, a blogger, a local and national media contributor, a blogger, a coach, a private practice consultant, and an award-winning performing songwriter. A native Californian, Hanks currently lives in Utah with her husband. They are the parents of 4 children.
- The Motherhood Archives: Motherhood on FilmArchival montage, science fiction and an homage to 1970s feminist filmmaking are woven together to form this haunting and lyrical essay film excavating hidden histories of childbirth in the twentieth century.
- Having It All: Juggling Motherhood, Career, and MarriageThree women set out to live their dreams of balancing career, marriage, and children. After two trying years of unanticipated trade-offs and painful sacrifices, each finds herself with a changed life and a changed idea of what “having it all” really means. From the painful exercise of putting an infant into childcare, to the heartbreak and defeat of divorce, this film offers an intimate and honest view of some routinely overlooked, yet ubiquitously endured experiences of today’s working parents.
Perspectives
The Not Good Enough Mother
A psychologist who evaluates the fitness of parents when their children have been removed from their custody finds herself reassessing her own mothering when her son falls victim to the opioid crisis. Psychologist and expert witness Dr. Sharon Lamb evaluates parents, particularly in high-stakes cases concerning the termination of parental rights. The conclusions she reaches can mean that some children are returned home from foster homes. Others are freed for adoption. Well-trained, Lamb generally can decide what's in the best interests of the child. But when her son's struggle with opioid addiction comes to light, she starts to doubt her right to make judgments about other mothers. As an expert, a professor, and a mother, Lamb gives voice to the near impossible standards demanded by a society prone to blame mothers when anything befalls their children. She describes vividly the plight of individual parents, mothers in particular, struggling with addiction and mental illness and trying to make stable homes for their kids amid the economic and emotional turmoil of their lives--all in the context of the opioid epidemic that has ravaged her home state of Vermont. In her office, during visits with their children, and in the family court, the parents we meet wait anxiously for Lamb's verdict: Have they turned their lives around under child welfare's watchful eye? Do they understand their children's needs? In short, are they good enough? But what is good enough? Lamb turns that question on herself in the midst of her gradual realization of her son's opioid addiction. Amazed at her own denial, feeling powerless to help him, Lamb confronts the heartache she can bring into the lives of others and her power to tear families apart.
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
An awe-inspiring, often hilarious, and unerringly honest story of one mother's exercise in extreme parenting, revealing the rewards-and the costs-of raising her children the Chinese way. All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. What Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother reveals is that the Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions and providing a nurturing environment. The Chinese believe that the best way to protect your children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother chronicles Chua's iron-willed decision to raise her daughters, Sophia and Lulu, her way-the Chinese way-and the remarkable results her choice inspires. Here are some things Amy Chua would never allow her daughters to do: ? have a playdate ? be in a school play ? complain about not being in a school play ? not be the #1 student in every subject except gym and drama ? play any instrument other than the piano or violin ? not play the piano or violin The truth is Lulu and Sophia would never have had time for a playdate. They were too busy practicing their instruments (two to three hours a day and double sessions on the weekend) and perfecting their Mandarin. Of course no one is perfect, including Chua herself. Witness this scene: "According to Sophia, here are three things I actually said to her at the piano as I supervised her practicing: 1. Oh my God, you're just getting worse and worse. 2. I'm going to count to three, then I want musicality. 3. If the next time's not PERFECT, I'm going to take all your stuffed animals and burn them!" But Chua demands as much of herself as she does of her daughters. And in her sacrifices-the exacting attention spent studying her daughters' performances, the office hours lost shuttling the girls to lessons-the depth of her love for her children becomes clear. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is an eye-opening exploration of the differences in Eastern and Western parenting- and the lessons parents and children everywhere teach one another.
Mommy Burnout
The ultimate must-read handbook for the modern mother: a practical, and positive tool to help free women from the debilitating notion of being the "perfect mom," filled with funny and all too relatable true-life stories and realistic suggestions to stop the burnout cycle, and protect our kids from the damage burnout can cause. Moms, do you feel tired? Overwhelmed? Have you continually put off the things you need to do for you? Do you feel like it's all worth it because your kids are happy? Are you "over" being a mother? If you answered yes to these questions, you're not alone. Parents today want to create the ideal childhood for their children. Women strive to be the picture-perfect Pinterest mother that looks amazing, hosts the best birthday parties in town, posts the most "liked" photos, and serves delicious, nutritious home-cooked meals in her neat, organized home after ferrying the kids to school and a host of extracurricular activities on time. This drive, while noble, can also be destructive, causing stress and anxiety that leads to "mommy burnout." Psychologist and family counselor Dr. Sheryl Ziegler is well-versed in the stress that moms face, and the burden of guilt they carry because they often feel like they aren't doing enough for their kids' happiness. A mother of three herself, Dr. Z--as she's affectionately known by her many patients--recognizes and understands that modern moms are all too often plagued by exhaustion, failure, isolation, self-doubt, and a general lack of self-love, and their families are also feeling the effects, too. Over the last nineteen years working with families and children, Dr. Z has devised a prescriptive program for addressing "mommy burnout"--teaching moms that they can learn to re-energize themselves and still feel good about their families and their lives. In this warm and empathetic guide, she examines this modern epidemic among mothers who put their children's happiness above their own, and offers empowering, proven solutions for alleviating this condition, saving marriages and keeping kids happy in the process.
Strong Mothers, Strong Sons
In Strong Mothers, Strong Sons, Dr. Meg Meeker uses the techniques she first put forward in her paperback hit Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters in order to provide moms with a blueprint for turning their boys into healthy and successful men. Pediatrician and teen health expert Dr. Meg Meeker shares the important advice, tricks and secrets that every mother needs to know in order to strengthen-or rebuild-her relationship with her son. In Strong Mothers, Strong Sons she calls upon her 25 years of experience as a pediatrician, teen counselor, medical school professor and mother of four in order to illuminate the problems that many boys face, and to show mothers how to help their sons navigate difficult territory in a healthy and mutually beneficial way. Meg Meeker's new book is an empowering approach to the mother-son relationship and the best ways to nurture it.
Mommy Guilt
"Parents today try too hard to be superhuman, often sacrificing their own well-being -- and relationships with friends, family, even their spouses -- to meet the ever-increasing demands of their children's lives. Of course, such efforts inevitably fall short, and parents blame themselves. Mommy Guilt encourages parents to let go of unobtainable (and ill-advised) goals in favor of parenting philosophies that concentrate on the whole family. This eye-opening book presents the results of an original, never-before-published nationwide survey of over 1,300 parents -- 96% of whom reported they felt guilty about some aspect of parenting. The most common include yelling, family time, work choices, school, and sports. Mommy Guilt offers straightforward principles for handling these and many other common issues -- as well as for dealing with everyday challenges that frequently add up to feelings of guilt. Through practical, tried-and-true tips, anecdotes, quizzes, and worksheets, Mommy Guilt illustrates how moms can fend off the guilt and focus on what really matters."
The Mother and Child Project
Dozens of influential leaders have heard the pleas of mothers and children in developing countries. Raising their voices to inspire a movement to increase healthy pregnancies and lower death rates, Melinda Gates, Kay Warren, Bill Frist, Kimberly Williams Paisley, Michael W. Smith and more speak out about why people of faith must get involved in The Mother and Child Project: Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope. Almost 287,000 women die each year because of pregnancy and birth complications. Many orphans are left behind in the wake of this tragedy, and without a mother, many of those children die as well. If only enough people knew. We have the resources to prevent this crisis, but we must take action. Fortunately, Hope Through Healing Hands, a nonprofit organization promoting awareness for healthy mothers and children worldwide, is already spreading the word. Not only can we save lives, reduce abortions, and decrease death rates, but also we can help build healthier, thriving families and bring stability and sustainability to families, communities and nations. The question is, will you join them
The Invisible Presence
Whether he's conscious of it or not, a man's mother is the model for just about every relationship with a woman he has for the rest of his life. Sometimes it's obvious (just ask his wife or girlfriend), sometimes it's more subtle, but when you see it, it becomes crystal clear. For fifteen years, this book has helped men understand their mothers' pervasive influence over the way they relate to women--both the positive and negative aspects of it. But more than that, it has helped thousands of men break free of old relationship patterns. Gurian gives men a wealth of practical exercises and meditations they can use to recognize their mothers' influence in relationships, and to establish a healthy and rewarding new basis for relationships that will benefit themselves and the women in their lives as well. This new edition of the book formerly titled Mothers, Sons, and Lovers includes a new preface and study questions by the author.
When Women Become Mothers
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