Really excellent post. I would definitely have benefitted in my life if our collective focus was on parenthood and not motherhood. My only caveat is that breastfeeding forces mothers to spend excessive amounts of time with their new born babies which in turn leads mothers rather than fathers to have the knowledge/instinct for the baby’s needs. This has a cumulative impact so mother is more likely to spend more time with the toddler and then the infant and return to work part time etc. So there is a question re what women want to do once these wheels are in motion. In Scandinavia where there is equal paid leave and better parental working arrangements it is still- after decades- mothers who undertake the bulk of parenting of younger children.
Just returned to this post; so needed. Thank you
Really excellent post. I would definitely have benefitted in my life if our collective focus was on parenthood and not motherhood. My only caveat is that breastfeeding forces mothers to spend excessive amounts of time with their new born babies which in turn leads mothers rather than fathers to have the knowledge/instinct for the baby’s needs. This has a cumulative impact so mother is more likely to spend more time with the toddler and then the infant and return to work part time etc. So there is a question re what women want to do once these wheels are in motion. In Scandinavia where there is equal paid leave and better parental working arrangements it is still- after decades- mothers who undertake the bulk of parenting of younger children.
This post is great. Thank you.