The Mask of Motherhood: How Becoming a Mother Changes Our Lives and Why We Never Talk About ItBecoming a mother is filled with the extremes of emotion --the highest highs and the lowest lows. But women are often reluctant to talk honestly about the experience for fear they'll be seen as bad mothers. With wit and candor, The Mask of Motherhood takes on the myths and the misinformation, helping women to prepare and deal with the depth of feeling that comes with the experience and perhaps most important, it lets them know that many, if not most, new mothers are feeling the same way.Susan Maushart, sociologist and mother of three, explores how motherhood affects our marriages and friendships, our relationships with parents, our sex lives, and our self-esteem. In The Mask of Motherhood, mothers will find the comfort and reassurance they are looking for, and confirmation that, indeed, motherhood is the toughest job in the world, but can also be the most rewarding. |
From inside the book
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Page 40
... ambivalence made flesh . It's the classic instance of " to have and have not , " " to be and not to be . " This blurring of the boundaries of selfhood , of where " I " leaves off and " You " begins 40 THE MASK OF MOTHERHOOD.
... ambivalence made flesh . It's the classic instance of " to have and have not , " " to be and not to be . " This blurring of the boundaries of selfhood , of where " I " leaves off and " You " begins 40 THE MASK OF MOTHERHOOD.
Page 107
... . Only in this case , rather than face our ambivalence about being accepted into the club , we deny to one another that there's anything there to join . As a result , most of us are left to 107 PENELOPE LEACH MEETS GODZILLA.
... . Only in this case , rather than face our ambivalence about being accepted into the club , we deny to one another that there's anything there to join . As a result , most of us are left to 107 PENELOPE LEACH MEETS GODZILLA.
Page 111
... ambivalence about motherhood is one thing . Expressing it — and , by extension , legitimizing it is quite another . The mask of motherhood ensures that the face of ambivalence , however widely or keenly felt , re- mains a guilty secret ...
... ambivalence about motherhood is one thing . Expressing it — and , by extension , legitimizing it is quite another . The mask of motherhood ensures that the face of ambivalence , however widely or keenly felt , re- mains a guilty secret ...
Contents
Faking Motherhood The Mask Revealed | 1 |
Falling The Experience of Pregnancy | 37 |
Laboring Under Delusions | 64 |
Copyright | |
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Other editions - View all
The Mask of Motherhood: How Becoming a Mother Changes Everything and why We ... Susan Maushart No preview available - 1999 |
The Mask of Motherhood: How Mothering Changes Everything and Why We Pretend ... Susan Maushart No preview available - 2006 |
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