Rollin And Motherhood

However, one of the most interesting concepts is how these mothers contribute to the ways in which their daughters develop their own identities and individual practices that enable them to mother themselves. More specifically, how they learn to doctor wounds, process emotions and thought, and care for themselves in all aspects of life. Therefore,

The essence of the relationship between a mother and child is a mutual ascendency in regards to identity. Children are subject to an instinctive longing for a mother. It is the mother’s influence that guides them in their process of discovering all the realities the world posses and in that processing discerning their identity. Conversely when a woman becomes a mother the presence of her child causes her to evaluate and develop her identity under the pretense of motherhood. Paula Nicolson touches on the value of both these scenarios in her article “Motherhood and Women’s Lives” where she expresses how the mother child relationship gives the pretense for both parties to find their authentic identities (Nicolson). Sue Monk Kidd evaluates the

She makes being a mother sound glorified as if that is the only thing that matters in a woman’s life. She even goes on to ask herself if she could “ever feel confident and secure in her worth as a woman”(35). It forces the stereotype that women are meant to, and want to, be mothers and have children. On the other hand, in “A sorrowful Woman”, the woman outright rejects motherhood, ignoring or acting cruel towards her child. In one scene, the child is just trying to play with her, and accidentally scratches her.

In fact, most people do not know what a mother is. They look down on the idea of having a family, or any other passionate love and deep affection. When Linda, John the savage's mother, saw the director, she ran over to him and humiliated him by saying, " You made me have a baby, yes a baby- and I was its mother."(151 Huxley). It embarrassed the director so much, that he ran out of the room and never returned.

At first it seems as if it is just a mother issuing out the do’s and don’ts to a daughter who is absent however we note two instances where the daughter responds to her mother though her mother does not acknowledge her input but continues with her speech. The voice of the mother is monotone and void of any emotions or intimacy. It is almost as if she is issuing these instructions to herself until later on in the story when the daughter responds. The point of view in this story comes across as contradictory and confusing in some way because the mother issues out the do’s of personal etiquette and domestic knowledge in order to achieve good social standing however by the same token she is instructing her daughter on how to have an abortion as evidenced by when she says “this is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it becomes a

“Good for her, not me. That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again. Good for her, not me,” (Poehler 32). This line from Amy Poehler’s new memoir, Yes Please, is reminding women to take a step back from the so called “Mommy Wars” and remember that not everything is a competition-- one style of parenting may be good for “her”, but not for “me”. The idea that women need to be reminded of this is a little ridiculous, but then again the concept of mother-versus-mother warfare is even more ridiculous. With the influence of the media, society has been forced into the debate of who is the better mother. Mother-blaming has become the cultural norm and is fueled by the media’s depiction of motherhood. Dividing women into two categories, the stay-at-home mom vs the working mother, results in the dimming of women’s power: mothers being pinned against one another are unable to band together and insist on social changes that would benefit all parents. This cultural emphasis on Mommy Wars is yet another way our patriarchal-society continues to oppresses women today.

More and more women are becoming single parents and raising their children on their own without the help of the father or of any man. Lately, and for several years, it is more common for women to be doing jobs for “men”. ( Kaiser, Spalding) Women who have been left by a male figure in their lives are very more likely to become independent and do as they need to survive. This was unheard of in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as said several times before, women do as men say and they are expected to do what they are told and live by a code. The morals of the realism and modernism era are unheard of in today's world. Women, and even men, either get married and have children, have children and don’t get married, or do neither and live their lives that way. Women have been acting this way for years, but is it really their fault? The leadership it takes for a woman to be on her own, and all the negativity that comes with being a woman who does what she feels is the right thing to do or what she wants to do, is absurd. (Bongiorno, Bain,

Being a Woman “But what if the baker won’t let me feel the bread” (Kincaid, 41)? What does it take to be the woman the baker lets feel the bread. In the short story “Girl” written by Jamaica Kincaid, a mother depicts the instructions of how a young woman should conduct herself. The short story is written in a series of commands that defines the roles of women, in relationships and at home; although insignificant, these roles are very important.

In the article, “A Mother’s Day Kiss-Off,” author Leslie Bennetts explains her rage about the Mother’s Day holiday and the unfair expectations of mothers in modern America. Bennetts feels that the treatment of women and mothers is unfair, causing women and mothers everywhere to be angry. Bennetts proclaims that women feel inferior in most aspects of life, and she explains that this is unfair and all too common. Bennetts challenges women to realize that they are not alone and should keep fighting for themselves. In doing so, Bennetts loses credibility in her idea that women are oppressed housewives due to her negative tone and approach to men and husbands.

She then told me that not everyone is cut out to be a mother and that many people don’t want children. So I then realised that this quote may have not been one hundred percent accurate. There can be little doubt as to the significant role a mother has in the life of her children. She will either provide a strong foundation upon which her children can launch into their future or she will provide obstacles they must overcome. We often pay tribute to the virtue of motherhood, Mother’s Day

“Being a single parent and trying to make it” states Fletcher who is currently married but before marriage her life was tough. In her early 20s, Fletcher got pregnant and was not at all prepared. The baby’s father made her feel so worthless by saying it wasn’t his and wanting her to get an abortion. However, she had a great mother who showed a lot of support and was always there for her. The support and positive impact she received from all of her female relatives made her stronger and gave her a positive outlook on life. After 30 years of struggling to be acknowledged, understood, and appreciated, feminism during the 21st century ascended to show a positive impact on women.

“Lean In” is a book that simply analyzes the plight and challenges faced by women in the society, both in the social and political arena. Written in a first person narrative, the writer begins by giving her own personal experience on the challenges she faced trying to balance between pregnancy and work. She notes that until her pregnancy, expectant mothers in her working place had no preferential treatment, such as reserved parking lots. They had to struggle for the few available spaces with their colleagues (Sandberg and Scovell). This is until she brought up the issue to her bosses, whom like her; it had not appeared in their mind that expectant mothers working in the company needed reserved parking.

The narrator of “I Stand Here Ironing” laments the choices she has made as a mother when questioned by a social worker in regards to her daughter Emily. She reveals the dark side of being a parent and discusses the heartbreak, lack of control, and hopelessness that is often seen in low-income and lower-middle-class households. Throughout she gives an honest view of motherhood that is typically left out from the idea of the “ideal mother” that society expects women to embrace. The blame for what happened in “I Stand Here Ironing” rests on society.

“When will you have a child?” is a question often heard by women nearing a certain age, or upon achieving certain milestones in her life (such as marriage or after her 30th birthday). While it may be true that women are indeed the only ones with the ability to bear children, having a child is portrayed as a woman’s right of passage. Individuals frequently overstep boundaries of privacy and inquire insensitively about a woman’s personal plan for children, and the male glorifying society is to be blamed for this prying and expectation. Due to the fact that motherhood in general is largely linked to women’s subordination to men, voluntary alternate decisions are subject to public criticism for violating the dominant norm. However, what if a woman truly has no desire to become a mother? Is it really something that every woman should aspire to? Why are women who opt not to procreate stigmatized in the first place? Is motherhood really as rewarding as portrayed to be? It is vital to note that is essay is not intended to degrade or discredit motherhood, as it is truly an extremely imperative, praiseworthy role, but, to closely examine

Betty Rollin asserts in her article "Motherhood: Who Needs It?" the prejudice women face deriving from societies unwritten laws. The unwritten laws are described as the Motherhood Myth:"The idea of having babies is something that all normal women instinctively want and need and will enjoy doing they just think they do." Society believes the drive to have babies is emplaced on women since birth. But in fact, the experiences a women has shapes her to have babies not some biological magic. This biological idea is similar to saying that all men want to work and put food on the table because they were born with the drive. No one person has similar experiences in life.