Perfect Madness

[Thorey]

Anyone read it? any thoughts on it- I just bought it and started it- interesting stuff...

edited to add- it's a NY Times bestseller by Judith Warner

[jennlindsey]

Read it last week! Fascinating, thought-provoking, if a little depressing.

Let me know what you think when you finish (she repeats herself a fair amount), I've been wanting to chat with someone about it ...

[Thorey]

it is a bit repetetive and makes you want to live in France if only for the superior public education and more affordable child care options- it also made we want to get up off my butt and try and be an advocate for mothers here in this country- as I said I only just finished the first chapter, so I'll get back to you as I move on. I'm finding her a bit too negative and judgemental in some ways but she makes some interesting points for sure. I just wanted to mention it to an AP extended breasfeeding audience b/c the author is sooo clearly against attachment parenting- she frequently repeats that having a family bed and breastfeeding for years are all things that are insensitive to a woman's needs and that we are raising our children where we don't have enough boundaries b/w the adult world and their world. I believe mothers don't always need to put themselves second or last as it were- it's very important to be a model of self love- and I feel very out of touch with my own dreams and goals since I've become a mother, so that is why I picked up the book. But I am so in love with my child- it's tremendously gratifying to be a mother and to see her grow. I could so easily lose myself in her world in our wonderful little world together. SO far there is none of the bliss of motherhood in the book. I have never felt love like the love I have for my daughter- It's so rewarding and she doesn't go into that yet.

I'm soooo glad you found it interesting! WHat a pleasant surprize- I expected to hear- hated the book hated the author I would stay away from that book... blah blah, But thanks and let me know more about your thoughts. I'll get back to you as I read on.

[zinemama]

My beef with the book was that, based on her small sample of rich mamas, she generalizes that all of us are obsessed with keeping up with the motherhood rat race, getting our kids into fancy preschools and shlepping them round to music, dance, soccer etc, all the time. I don't live that way and I don't know anyone else who does, either.

However. Although I think she makes a lot of generalizations about mothers based on a very select sample of wealthy, privileged, white women in DC, the conclusions she draws about mothers as a whole and what we need (i.e, a set-up like they have in France) are accurate. Though not exactly earth-shattering news. I mean, Ann Crittenden has covered that territory extensively in The Price of Motherhood. Which I thought was a more interesting book.

[Thorey]

[QUOTE=zinemama]My beef with the book was that, based on her small sample of rich mamas, she generalizes that all of us are obsessed with keeping up with the motherhood rat race, getting our kids into fancy preschools and shlepping them round to music, dance, soccer etc, all the time. I don't live that way and I don't know anyone else who does, either.

I agree with that- I'm not caught up with that at all. It seems shallow to me- although I do feel pressure to start saving for private school or move- I live in an area where the public schools are abysmal. I'm going to check out the Crittenden book- it's the third time I've been directed to it in the past two days!