"Although we may pay lip service to the wonders of a new life much of the way our adult lives are organized seems to actively exclude children, and therefore also exclude any adult who has to be with those children. Hence working and social situations outside of our homes are not 'user-friendly' towards children. "(Price p20)
I just started reading the book the above quote came from, Motherhood What It Does to You Mind. (Pandora, 1988)
So far it seems to blame the alienation of mothers on society. Dr. Jane Price is British, so she is blaming British culture.
She is a 'psychologist and psychotherapist who specialises in the psychology of women.' So says the back cover.
So far I really like that she uses words like anger, resentment, guilt, anxiety, and jealousy as part of the complicated emotional relationship between mother and child. I am not sure that I agree with her theories. What a relief it is to read a book that doesn't act like losing your pre-baby identity is just another thing you are supposed to just grin and bear it. It is traumatic, it is painful. It is the most powerful thing I have experienced in my lifetime. The expectations of the kind of parent I thought I would be vs reality is also a major death to mourn.
I just wanted to jot down a few ideas, I'll write a full review after I finish the whole book. There are lots of provoking ideas in the book.
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