Raising Expectations: Phases of Motherhood--Surviving the Shock.
Andrea Gordon.
- Toronto Star, 2005.
- SIRS Enduring Issues 2006. Article 13, Family, 1522-3213; .
Articles Contained in SIRS Enduring Issues 2006. Originally Published: Raising Expectations: Phases of Motherhood--Surviving the Shock, March 12, 2005; pp. L1+.
"For women at home with babies, connecting with other mothers is more than a matter of entertainment. It's about sanity. Because, much as we don't like to admit it, beneath the rapture of nuzzling a fragrant newborn head lurks a darker, largely unspoken side--of jarring exhaustion, loneliness, self-doubt. 'Mother shock' is what American writer Andrea Buchanan calls it. That's the title of her 2003 book about her transition to parenthood, a state she likens to suddenly landing in a foreign country 'with a whole new language, a different culture, a striking political landscape, and a punishing time zone to adjust to.' There's safety in numbers when you land in this new territory. Especially if you can grasp the firm hand of someone who got there first. But, these days, it doesn't come naturally. Our own mothers could count on companionship up and down the block. Today's moms have to resort to ingenuity, sometimes fuelled by desperation." (TORONTO STAR) This article stresses the importance of support groups for new mothers.
1522-3213;
Child rearing Motherhood Mothers Self-help groups Working mothers