Why this blog?

I'm the daughter of a feminist, raised on stories about how dramatically feminism had changed the world and especially had changed motherhood. So it was a shock to me when I became a mother and realized how difficult things still were for mothers, and indeed that in some ways mothering had gotten harder in recent decades. This blog is part of my effort to figure out why and how we can change it.

Mothers are the heart of a culture, the force that shapes the future and keeps the whole thing going. Except that in America, we’re marginalized, isolated, and disempowered, with devastating results for everyone. Parents sense they’re trying to do something nearly impossible. But it doesn’t have to be so hard. You’re-on-your-own philosophy got us into this mess; working together could get us out of it. As the poem says, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Let’s get to it.