The good mother myth : unlearning our bad ideas about how to be a good mom /
When Nancy Reddy had her first child, she was confronted with the societal ideal of motherhood: a mother who is always available, endlessly patient and completely focused on her child above all else. Raised by a single working mother, Reddy identified as a feminist and was pursuing a PhD. Yet, she f...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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New York :
St. Martin's Press,
[2025].
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| Edition: | First edition. |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | When Nancy Reddy had her first child, she was confronted with the societal ideal of motherhood: a mother who is always available, endlessly patient and completely focused on her child above all else. Raised by a single working mother, Reddy identified as a feminist and was pursuing a PhD. Yet, she found the pressure to meet this ideal troubling. To understand why, she turned to mid-20th century social scientists and psychologists whose research continues to influence modern parenting beliefs. Reddy examines the ideas put forward by these researchers, such as Harry Harlow's controversial studies on monkeys and Dr. Spock's famous parenting guide, which notably included minimal mention of fathers. In The Good Mother Myth, Reddy critiques these outdated and often flawed theories about motherhood, offering an analysis of how their influence still shapes cultural norms today. This book blends history, cultural criticism and memoir to explore the complex and often problematic foundations of modern ideas about what it means to be a "good" mother. |
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| Physical Description: | 247 pages ; 22 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781250336644 1250336643 |