What if parenting is actually cool?
SlateElissa Strauss always knew she wanted to be a mother, but she also knew she didn’t want motherhood to take over her personality. “I had put so much energy into figuring out how not to lose myself to caregiving,” Elissa writes in her new book, “that I completely ignored the possibility that I might, in fact, find some of myself there.” In this episode, Anna and Elissa talk about why it feels uncool to talk about liking motherhood, and the ways caretaking can take from us, but also how it can fill us up and engender “moral transformation.” Plus, the economics of care, and what really valuing care in society would look like. She also wrote a piece last month in Slate called “It’s Weird Times to Be a Happy Mother.” Are you a paid caregiver? Tell us some things you’ve taken away from the experience—wild stories, observations about class, lessons about the way you want your own loved ones to be cared for.
History of this topic
You might fear losing your cool as a parent. This L.A. mom has the answers
LA TimesDiscover Related
